In some cases, a picture is worth way more than any words and this is the case for the Whitsundays, this dreamy archipelago in the Coral Sea off Queensland’s coast.

The best way to explore this floating beauties is surely by boat and, among the puzzling choices in Arlie beach, we opted for a marine safari with Ocean Rafting visiting three top destinations all in one day (normally a 3-day tour) and what a great day!

We boarded in Airlie Beach’s harbor on a super fast inflatable vessel that does go real fast. Apparently you can’t get sick on this kind of boat but, just to play safe, we got our travel sickness tablet and off we went.

The sky was clear but it turned on us quickly after we left the harbor, it wasn’t looking good. The wind was blowing at 25knots, the sea shaking, the perfect formula for big waves and exhilarating fun with our vessel cutting powerfully through the rough water at 50/60kmh, though my back was less pleased. After some big bumps the sea started to smooth down and we reached our first stop for an easy hike through Whitsunday Island National Park in order to reach the look out of Hill Inlet, the Whitsunday Passage.

From the top, we could get a glimpse of the long stretch of pure silica sand of Whitehaven beach, the shifting sands of Hill Inlet exposing hidden sandbars and some manta rays half revealing while floating through the clear shallowness of the ocean. It was like staring at a canvas where the water was the real artist creating a blend of blues, shading off in azure, turquoise and light blue, pretty spectacular!