We added a third night to our stay in Airlie Beach to take advantage of a day-long trip that included hiking, snorkeling and a visiting an island used for multiple movies which also one of the most famous Australian beaches – Whitehaven Beach. Ocean Rafting was the tour operator with fast, rigid inflatable boats that took us the islands of Whitsunday and Hook islands for the adventure.

Before getting on the boat we were handed stinger suits that we would use when snorkeling – they protect us from tiny jellyfish in the ocean this time of year. There were about 16 of us plus the captain and guide and off we went at about 20-25 mph bouncing a bit with the small waves. (Those who know me know I took Dramamine the night before and at breakfast!)

The first stop was Whitsunday island for a hike up the mountain that included some local history and great views. The guide explained the importance of the Whitehaven beach unusually white 98.9% silica sand around the bay and that the bay and local mountain was sacred to the original Ngaro and Gia peoples of the area.

After the hike we went to the actual “famous” beach, swam in our stinger suits and ate picnic lunches.

After lunch and relaxing a bit we got to the part we were excited about – snorkeling. The first spot was mainly focused on the quantity and variety of fish – wish I had photos but I’ll include one that we saw although I didn’t take the picture. Then we moved to a second bay where the focus was on the coral reef – lovely and varied corals – some I had never seen. Very nice. It was a good day and we were pretty tired by the time we returned to the marina.