Ahh, the Whitsunday Islands. This part of the world has been on my bucket list for ages and I’m sure it will be my favorite part of the east coast.

But here’s the problem with expectations… they interfere with your perception of a place. For example, I visited Fraser Island not expecting much, and it blew me away. But I arrive at the Whitsundays expecting everything. How could it ever measure up?

I’m trying to remove expectations from my life. (This goes beyond travel.) But that’s not to say I had a bad time here — I still think the Whitsunday Islands are a very worthwhile destination on Australia’s east coast. Just know that, as with everything, various influences come into play (like the weather, the boat you choose, getting seasick) and these can interfere with your trip.

As I wrote yesterday, I arrive in Airlie Beach around 7am off the overnight bus. I scout out last-minute departures for the Whitsundays and score a good deal on The Blizzard — $375 for a 2 day / 2 night cruise. The normal price is $500 for a shared single bed berth. I luck out as the only single person aboard, so I don’t have a roommate.

I pick this boat for one reason — it accommodates a maximum of ten passengers. I don’t want a big party cruise and the best way to guarantee that is to choose a boat with small numbers. It turns out there are six other people signed up — 2 younger couples from Ireland and 1 middle aged couple from Massachusetts, of all places! What are the odds?

Our boat has two crew members — Dave the skipper (pictured below-right), and Annette from Norway as his first mate and our cook.

While this entire experience is fine — not a highlight of Australia, but nonetheless enjoyable — I have one bone to pick. Skipper Dave has very little patience and gets frustrated with us easily. When we ask about the trip itinerary, he throws shade (“I already told you”) as though we should have memorized it. His lack of communication is frustrating — he’d tell some people what we were going to do next, but not repeat it once everyone else had emerged from their cabins. (There was a small map up with the route that was hard to read.) His worst moment was trying to teach us stand-up paddle boarding. One of the Irish gentlemen attempts to go first but, after a valiant effort, struggles to stay standing up. Dave vents, “Did you even listen?!” Oh man, it was so rude. We are all on vacation and isn’t this supposed to be fun?

I’ll brush it off and write the rest of this post, but it’s a shame that when I look back at some of these photos I remember how mad this guy made me! I’d more strongly endorse The Blizzard for your Whitsundays experience if he weren’t the skipper.

Onward and upward!

The clouds roll in as we depart. We’re greeted with a rainbow.

Here is my cabin. My fisheye lens makes everything appear larger; with two people it’d feel very cramped.

Here is our kitchen / dining area:

And the upper deck where we all congregate:

The next morning we dock at Whitehaven Beach, the crown jewel of the Whitsunday Islands. I’ll save that for a separate post coming tomorrow, as it’s the best part of this trip and I have a bevy of beach photos to share.

After Whitehaven Beach we enjoy lunch before our afternoon paddle boarding and snorkel time.

Dave demonstrates the paddle boarding:

Most of us have trouble standing up, but it’s easier when we try on our knees:

Snorkel time!

My beloved Canon D10 underwater camera is on its last legs. I’ve already scouted out where to purchase a replacement in Cairns (the Canon D20 is on hold for me at a local camera store there) but in the meantime I take these final shots with the D10. It’s served me well since my 2010 trip to the Galapagos. Over the years I’ve used it in Thailand, Hawaii, and the Cook Islands, plus at summer camp and on Cape Cod. I’m pleased with its performance and lifespan.

(These shots were washed out but I popped the colors in Lightroom to give them life.)

We relax at night. Aside from Whitehaven Beach, this is my favorite part of the trip — just chatting with the fellow passengers and indulging in bites of rum raisin chocolate bars after dinner. The air is cool and we retreat downstairs when the wind picks up.

There’s Annette on the left cooking dinner. She’s like a magician in that tiny space — whipping up really great meals as the boat rocks back and forth.

Breakfast is great too — I have an English muffin with Nutella and fruit salad. There’s also a selection of cereals, tea, coffee, and juice.

The next morning we visit Langford Island, very close to Hamilton Island. We have lots of time to stroll and then snorkel, looking for turtles.

As we walk, rain begins to fall so we take nature’s cue and start snorkeling.

This is our route:

The sun plays hide-and-seek for two days, but as we return to Airlie Beach the rays shine down. I soak it up on deck.

I’m so looking forward to sharing my Whitehaven Beach photos! As they say in soaps, tune in tomorrow…