When Captain Cook stumbled upon these 74+ majestically spread islands throughout the beautiful shades of aqua-blue and indigo of the Coral Sea, he believed it was Sunday, the day of the Christian feast Whitsun. So he named the area the Whitsundays, which suits the area much better than what it should have been; the Whitmondays.
In this true paradise, stretching 280 square kilometres within shelter of the Great Barrier Reef, conditions are perfect for sailing. There are numerous stunning beaches and secluded bays, none more famous than Whitehaven Beach, the award winning beach on Whitsunday Island, where some of the worlds purest brilliant white silica sand stretches over 7 kilometres towards Hill Inlet.

When I roll over the hills into the hub of the Whitsunday Islands, I get a stunning view of the place I now call home, Airlie Beach. Staring at the twinkling bright blue ocean surrounding the town, I see hundreds of yachts and I wonder which one will be my new office…

The first week is for exploring Airlie properly; the drinking town with a sailing problem. We don’t get to the sailing problem, but do very well on the drinking. Being a true backpacker destination, Airlie beach has heaps of bars lining the main drag and a gorgeous swimming lagoon to sleep off the long rum-filled nights without worrying about jellies or salties.

Boardwalk Airlie

Lagoon Airlie

Soon enough, it’s time for a reality check, which means looking for a home and work. Being a very small town, everyone knows everyone which helps a lot, but also means that I shouldn’t be working for this vessel because the skipper’s an arse and most definitely not for that company because they won’t pay… Good insider info, but I’ll have to start somewhere nonetheless.
There’s at least 200 different boats cruising the islands, ranging from exclusive luxury charters to byob backpacker party boats and anything in between. As all different tours are booked through agencies in town or online, the only way to get in contact with the people that run the show is by strolling the docks. The more I get to know, the more I realise it’s the same deal as in Cairns; intro dives! Not very interesting to do on a daily basis.

Eventually I start working as a hostie on a gorgeous maritimo yacht, doing charters for the very exclusive One&Only Hayman Island. I get to cruise around the islands, put my feet in the powdery soft sand of Whitehaven Beach and meet some of the filthiest rich people of this planet. It would have been the most perfect-est job where diving, hospitality, office work and boating blend in together even leading up to sponsorship… If only the owners would have more sense than money. Not willing to offer me a lawful minimum salary and expecting me to run it as a dive charter to the outer reef without any regards for safety or environmental standards, I abandon ship in the second week, right after pocketing three boat licenses; give some, take some ^_^ 

Another opportunity comes up which is diving from a boat that’s out for 7 days in a row, getting all the intro divers in from other vessels. On a 3 day trial I figure it’s pretty sweet to see the sunset and sunrise over the Whitsundays every day, but on the long term I’d go seriously insane being isolated with only 2 other crew and doing the same thing over and over again.
Eventually I sell my soul to the biggest company in town, Cruise Whitsundays, where I’m employed as a Cruise Attendant on a huge 3 story vessel shipping hundreds of tourists to 2 pontoons on the outer reef every day of the year. It’s a well paid job for helping people readjust stomach fluids in designated bags, doing lots of dishes, teaching folks about the reef on the glass bottom boat and encouraging particular nationalities to put their masks on the right way (not upside down, duh). The list of half-baked things that tourists do and ask is endless, just to keep us entertained throughout the day! 

To add to the excitement, I sign a contract with One&Only Hayman as a dive instructor. Hayman is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands and famous for its private luxury resort, where paying $15,000 a night is perfectly normal. Say what?! Here’s a video on how the rich and famous spend their holidays.

Cruise Whitsundays Pontoon

Diving at Langford – Hayman Island in background

Langford Island

The diving here is alright from what I’ve seen so far (yes, I know I’m very spoiled).
On the ‘inner reef’ which is the Whitsunday Islands, the visibility isn’t great (<10m), but there’s still heaps of things to find and there’ll always be a turtle cruising by. The outer reef (that Great Barrier Reef) is much more interesting, where white tip sharks cruise the currents around giant bommies and walls covered in pristine hard corals. I look forward to exploring more dive sites and secret spots. Honestly, I’m quite surprised there aren’t more dive operators around here exploring the reef, but I won’t complain at having each place to myself. 

At the moment, I don’t find enough time (or dollars) to do stuff in and around Airlie, being occupied with tourists too many hours a day, 6 days a week, but having the Coral Sea as my playground, I dare not complain. After several weeks in different houses from friends of friends, followed by staying in a dodgy place without front door nor AC, we eventually score a granny flat up the hill with a huge porch in the tropical greens with oceanview; home sweet home!

When able to go and see the gems around Airlie, having a boat, or friends with boats are a must, I found friends, yay!
At some point I really wanna see Hill Inlet with my own eyes and put my feet in the sand on all these pretty Whitsunday beaches. I might get to stay a bit longer than planned, so there’ll be enough time to explore this patch of paradise… 

We go boating and do nuttin’

Hill Inlet

Chilling on the porch ^_^

Waiting for the ferry home..

Hideaway Bay