April 26, 2001 - Thursday - Whitsunday Islands
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| Sunrise over the Whitsunday Islands - Queensland, Australia |
I was the first one up on the boat at 4 and watched the sunrise for the first time since Apua Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. The boat continued to be powered to our next destination, which was White Haven Beach. Our boat docked by the island and we all got off on the shore to hike up to a lookout.
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| White Haven Beach - Whitsunday Islands - Queensland, Australia |
On the way there, there was a huge spider that hung over the path but most people didn't see it. They walked right into the web and broke the lower part of the web. Eventually, we reached the lookout and it was an OK sight but not as spectacular as I thought. I really have been spoilt by other beautiful places I've seen.
Everybody pretty much marched the trail like most group hikes I've been on. We went to the beach after that and it was a wide expanse of white sandy beaches with some nice blue water and shallow bays. In one of the bays, there was a golden stingray feeding along the shore.
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| Giant snail in the shallows - White Haven Beach - Whitsunday Islands - Queensland, Australia |
I walked in the two bays to look for something interesting but nothing really came up. I did see a huge snail at least 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. It had spikes at the end of the shell, which was a little strange. I walked to the other side to see if I could see anything in the more rocky shores there.
On the way there, I bumped into Primo and Ronnie who were just finishing their forest walk. They were taking their sweet time to examine the various trees and animals that other people missed. It's refreshing to see people who don't rush through the paths like that.
On the other side, it was fairly disappointing because I was only able to see some sergeant majors and other small non-descriptive fish. Eventually, we left the island and headed to a snorkeling spot at another island. We were grouped into 3 groups of 4s and I was in the last group so I got a chance to snorkel before my intro dive.
The snorkeling was excellent, with coral gardens all over and various fish swimming about. Many of the fish I've never seen or never seen in the wild before. It was fun just snorkeling and I wonder if I even need to try diving. Eventually, it was our turn and Simon - the dive master showed us the safety procedures again before letting us into the water.
We dove after that and at first, it was just like snorkeling but eventually, we got deeper and I started squeezing my nose and blow to equalize the pressure in my ears. I'm not used to seeing the amount of water on top of me and I started panicking a little bit, but eventually calmed down and started enjoying the sights around me.
The things we saw were similar to what I saw while snorkeling, but at a different angle and you get to see slightly more also. It was simply excellent and it convinced me to go get certified when I get to Cairns.
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| Primo and Ronnie getting ready for their dive - White Haven Beach - Whitsunday Islands - Queensland, Australia |
We went to another snorkel spot after that but it was late in the afternoon so I didn't go in. Some other people went in and eventually, Matt and others went in later that evening for a night dive. He said it was excellent and now that I write about it, I should've tried it.
I sat and watched the sunset and took a few pictures and eventually just walked around and looked at the sea or chatted with a few people. A few people decided to sleep up top again, including Primo, so I took his bed instead, which was situated in a open airy spot with a window. I slept well that night.
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