The Great Barrier Reef

  Hamilton Island, Australia
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Despite my best efforts, I can't find anyone who will do an overnight sailing trip because the minimum needed is two and I decide it isn't worth the extra money.  Instead, I wind up doing a day boat trip.  I hop on the boat bright and early and we head out to Hill Point and go on a bush walk up to a lookout point.  The weather didn't help out all that much but I could still see the beauty of the Whitsundays below.  Next the boat set sail for one of the prettiest beaches in the world, Whitehaven beach.  This 6 kilometer-long beach is wide and perfect with soft white sand the whole length and in the water.  We play a game of rugby on the beach and I finally figure out a few of the rules that had escaped me before actually playing. 




After enjoying the breath-taking beach, we were off to scuba and snorkel on the reef.  Unfortunately, visibility was poor due to recent wind and weather.  The fish were awesome, but the coral wasn't as good as I had seen in Thailand, perhaps due to the visibility conditions.  The ride back is beautiful as the clouds clear up in time for sunset.  I feel like this is an experience I'll have to try again as it certainly did not live up to the hype and is probably also enjoyed best with company!