Here We Go Again - Chapter 27 - Airlie Beach Day 3

The Whitsunday Bullet awaits us. We are to be picked up at the bus stop at the front of the van park at 7.25am. This means the alarm will go off at 6.00am, although I am already up and doodling on the computer.

While we wait for ours, a metropolitan bus stops, without a hail from us. The driver opens the door and commences a conversation. He is very jovial for this hour of the morning and he goes on his way with a hearty “enjoy your day, we don’t often get perfect days like today”. Our bus arrives on time but does not want to pick us up, until I convince the driver that we are on his manifest.

You see there are 2 “Eco Friendly, Big 4” Caravan Parks on either sides of the settlement. They had assumed we were in the other one. No worries we are on it now. We are the first ones on, along with some other guests. There are other stops and other guests to collect. IN all there are 36 on the boat today.

We are given our safety instructions as the boat creeps out of the harbour, then the twin 350hp Yamaha outboards roar into action and soon we are doing 30 knots. We are hurtling into the Whitsundays. The day that was “perfect” may have provided a glass like ocean to travel on, but in the distance a darkening squall awaits.

“Let me tell you a story, a story of a fateful trip, that started on …..” The words to the starting track of Gilligan’s Island are starting to sing their words louder and louder as we head into it. Heading into what seems to be a darkening sky surrounding an island looking something like Skull Island from the movie Kong; Skull Island (Warner Brother 2017). I ask the skipper, which one of his desk hands’ real name is Gilligan and he laughs.

Soon we drop into a bay filled with coral. It is here we are going to snorkel. The water temperature is suggested to be 24 degrees and we are all given wetsuits for the occasion, although Robyn and Rsoe are not donning theirs. I am apprehensive  but don the suit and get on the tender to get close to the viewing parts of the reef.

Its now or never. The water temperature is bracing and it takes a while to get my breath. Around me there are squeals of divers acclimatising to the water. The boat crew has given us noodles  for flotation and no flippers. They suggest the flippers can cause even more damage that Cyclone Debbie some 4 years before. The noodles allow me to simply float with my head in the water, although the goggles leak, probably because of  my mustache.

Unlike many of the other swimmers I simply allow myself to float. Looking something like a manta ray, the small fish come to investigate. With the small fish come the larger fish. I see some fish that would go very hard on the end of a finishing line. Without flippers I decline the need to dove and look closer at them.

We were told that of you got into deep water and lost sight of the coral all we needed to do was turn around and head back in. There is a keyhole entrance to an atoll type structure and I allow myself to float in. There are bigger fish here, but the sides of the crevasse are close. In the safety briefing we were told not to touch the coral for fear of being cut. I am mindful and turn myself and head out nit touching any coral. I have brought footwear to walk on the coral and am wearing it snorkelling but still dont want to touch it.

The half hour in the water goes all too quickly. Getting back in the big boat, I cant get the wetsuit off quick enough and start warming up. With everyone back in, its time to head off to Whitehaven Beach. 

Once there, its sit in the sun and warm up even more. The sun is so inviting I lay for a moment and am soon snoring my head off evidently. All that hard work snorkelling has taken its toll. The hour we are there is suddenly over and I am woken from my slumber. Forbsy is back having walked to the lookout behind the beach. There are lots of steps but the walk was worth it.

Lunch is served on the boat, a nice salad, and once consumed we are off to another beach. A beach where there are a myriad of pictures taken of the swirling sands. There are in excess of 300 stone stairs to climb on the way to three lookout points towering over the shifting sands.

Panorama shots are the order of the day and I take many. I spot a yacht berthed in the sand surrounded water. I do a video commercial talking about the WHY of life using the setting as the emphasis.

That done and now we walk the steps back to the beach. On the beach I compare shots with another guest from the boat while we wait for the tender to come and pick us up. 

Pebbles on the beach, the instinct is to build a Forbsy like cairn. The structure is not probably that of a great Forbsy cairn, but it nis what it is. One of the youngsters from the boat spots the structure and looks to demolish it. I half growl at him and the destructive demon becomes repairman as his mother laughs on.

The day has been huge. Now its time to head home. The skipper opens up the twin 350hp Yamahas and we are soon cruising at top speed in the direction of Airlie Beach Marina. All the way back I take shots and videos of the glass like conditions. 

Back at the marina, there is a new yacht in a berth and it is massive. “Thalassa” seems to have been glued into a prime position. I again video a WHY video suggesting if you want it you can have it, as long as you have the time and the vision.

Back on the bus we are off to deliver everyone home. There is confusion again, but not about us, this time another passenger mucks up there destination and misses the call from the driver and we have to do a U Turn to come back and let them off.

We are tired and fulfilled that the day has been a great experience we will remember long into the future. I send thank yous to all who have arranged it.

Dinner now raises its head. Too easy – we will hit the van park caravan for fish and chips night. We walk to the other side of the amenities block just in front of our sites, place our order and wait for it to be cooked. Back in the van we settle in to the end of the Man Who Knew Infinity (2016 Warner Brothers), a telling tale.

Dinner done, its time to get ready for tomorrow’s fishing trip. Set the alarm for 5.15am and although the footy is on a top placed teams are playing, its an early bed for me.