13.11.2015 Whitsunday Islands

the whitest beach in the world

At 8am we arrived at the harbor (we had to walk about 2 km from the caravan park) and were greeted by the crew of the 'Kiana', our sailboat where we will spend the next three days. Our crew consisted of 14 people, the captain (Brandon), and two crew members (Morgan (cook) and Candy (dive guide)). After Candy counted everyone and checked their boarding passes, we boarded the boat. The boat looks breathtaking, it was divided into two levels. The upper level consisted of the front deck where the sails are and where you can enjoy the view and the sun the best, and the rear deck which was shady and where we stayed for meals aufgehalten.In In the middle of the front and rear decks, the captain had his area and from there you could also access the lower level. We had the biggest bed ever! =) The only disadvantage was that the bed was folded up during the day and formed the couch for the lounge area. After an introduction and a brief explanation of the daily routine, we set course for the Whitsunday Islands. The harbor was about 30 km (3 hours) away from the islands. We had perfect weather! Unfortunately, there wasn't enough wind to sail, but that wasn't so bad. We stayed on the front deck and got to know Emma, Joseph, Elad, and Etty. Emma and Joseph are from Wales and are on a 5-week vacation in Australia. Etty and Elad are from Israel and are also on vacation. Both are married and have traveled to Asia, India, and more before Australia. It's incredible where they have already been. Otherwise, our group consisted of two more Israelis (we don't know their names :-D), but they are nice, Chris and Steve, both Germans. Chris has just arrived in Australia and is traveling on a tourist visa. He will travel in Australia for the next 5 weeks, then fly to Cambodia, Asia, and India, and then come back to Australia with a working holiday visa. Steve has been in Australia for 1.5 years and lived in Brisbane for 7 months and worked as a carpenter. Then there was Peta, a woman who is currently doing her doctorate and lives in Melbourne, and PetER, who is from California and is also here on vacation (also a doctor). So we were well equipped with the two of them and Mike as the paramedic :-D. Once we arrived at the Whitsundays, we walked up the hill to the Inlet Lookout, where all the beautiful photos are taken with the Whitsundays in the background. Unfortunately, it's totally crowded and we had to 'fight' to get a picture alone in front of it :-D. On the other side of the hill was the Whitehaven Beach, where we had a 3-hour stay :-). Here you will find the whitest sand in the world and there are huge penalties if it is discovered that you took sand with you. (No, we didn't take anything with us :-D) Equipped with our beautiful 'stinger suits', we were even able to swim in the water (stinger suits are worn to protect against dangerous jellyfish). We felt like seals or penguins. 3 hours passed by quickly and before we knew it, we were back on the boat, where the first lunch was already waiting. Several delicious salads, bread, cold cuts - simply delicious and exactly what we needed. After lunch, Candy gave us a brief instruction on the hand signals for the upcoming diving and told us some general information. Jenny is already super excited.. The rest of the day went by leisurely, the group is really funny and everyone gets along great! Steve and Chris only realized in the evening that we are German. For dinner, we had pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and lamb. The first time lamb.. Nothing for Mike... The first night came and it was really weird.. it's strange to lie in bed and everything is somehow spinning. Jenny went to bed before Mike and in the middle of the night, she woke up and looked for Mike.. he was sleeping on the deck above :-D.