Fresh off a plane from New Zealand, my friend Vanessa and I left the chill air of Christchurch and was slapped straight in the face with sun, warmth, and humidity of the Whitsunday Islands of Australia.

We took a shuttle from the PPP airport to our Airbnb (never stayed at an Airbnb before? Click HERE for a sweet discount) and our host suggested to hurry up and catch the sunset on Airlie Beach. We made it right one time and it was S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!

A grocery store was a short distance walk away from the beach so Vanessa and I picked up a few breakfast and lunch supplies since the land down un-dah has a high price tag on eating out, especially in this tourist town.

Early the next morning Vanessa and I departed on a Great Barrier Reef Adventure with Cruise Whitsundays! We took a catamaran from Port of Airlie for three hours to a pontoon where snorkeling gear was provided. We explored the various reefs, giant clams, and tropical sea creatures. Some were even as big as me!

There was a point in the day where everyone left the water to eat lunch, which was provided and super delicious. I stayed in to swim around on my own and to my luck, spotted a turtle! Chip (his name, apparently) swam gracefully, up and down the crystal clear waters. I, on the other hand, was not so elegant in my attempt to capture him on camera. I did the best I could.

The reefs themselves are not as vibrant in colour as you imagine, blame global warming for the bleaching. It was eye-opening to see first hand how our world is changing, and sometimes it’s not for the better. There are talks that the reef could revive itself, but there’s only a small percentage. We need the reef to sustain, not only tourism $$$ for Australia 😉 but marine life rely on it for shelter and nutrients.

What can we do to help?

Keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, duh!

• Walk or bike instead of driving.
• Plant a tree, or two.
• Call your local politicians and remind them how important it is to support climate change.

Our adventure at the Great Barrier Reef was informative as it was fun, and when Vanessa and I got back to Airlie Beach, we passed right out.

The next day we craved some R&R and took a half-day cruise to Whitehaven Beach. The waters were various shades of turquoise and sand was made of white silica (aka, soft AF).

Whitehaven Beach was hands down the most picturesque beach I’ve ever left my footprints on. It has even been named Queensland’s Most Beautiful Beach, no arguments there.

Whitsunday Islands = A serious dream come true. It has always been a goal of mine to swim above the Great Barrier Reef, and I was lucky enough to have the best tour guide, Chip the turtle. 😉 Want to see all the underwater action? I captured it all for ya! Check out my latest vlog below!