I settled a couple of days in Airlie Beach for one reason : going to the Whitsunday islands. That’s how they were named by Captain Cook, as they were discovered on a whitsunday (Pentecôte).

The most famous beach of the archipelago is named Whitehaven beach.

Its white sands consists of 98% pure silica which gives it a bright white color. And indeed it is magic. When we disembark, hundreds of seagulls are on the shore, adding to the pristine atmosphere…

Apart from a couple of windsurfers, there is nobody on the island. But, in the shallow waters, whereas I was expecting awful jellyfishes, I have a nice surprise: two manta rays are having fun in the sand. I try to follow them, they move quickly.

After a picnic in tis unbelievable place, we go snorkeling on another spot. I wear a stingers overall, meant to protect me from deadly jellyfishes. Though, I don’t have a balaclava or gloves, so my hands and neck are uncovered. I need to be extremely cautious…

But how could I resist these waters ?
The two snorkeling cessions are unbelievable. During the first one, I find myself eyeball to eyeball with a four fishes who were at least one meter long and one meter large, lost among a myriad of grey and yellow fishes that were already 30 cm long…

One was a flat fish, with large black and white stripes…

One was basically grey… But huuuuuuge….

Another was a mix of green, blue, yellow…

Magical, and a bit frightening too. I was certainly not expecting to face bigger animals than me…

And then we moved to another spot. After the mantas, and after the huge fishes, I got to swim with a turtle!!!

Another magical moment.

This turtle ballet will conclude my series of posts on sea life… I guess you’ve had enough. But on my side, as soon as I can I’ll dive again…