One quick bus ride and an even shorter flight brought us to Arlie Beach.  
  

 We were dropped off in the center of town on a hot sunny day and from there we were off to find our accommodation for the next few nights. Magnums Backpackers offered us a deal that could not be beat, so we dropped our bags and headed across the street to cool off in the beautiful public lagoon.    
      
    
 
 

We enjoyed the water for the rest of the day and then headed back, loaded up on some groceries at the near by Woolsworth and ate dinner. We fell asleep listening to the pitter-patter of the rain drops as they hit the roof. 

 
Well, to our surprise the rain showers were off and on and didn’t stop until the day we left. Thankfully, the day of our boat tour we woke up to a clear, sunny sky and made our way to the nearby marina. We checked in, met our crew, and then since it was jellyfish season, we were all given stinger-suits. 
    We then boarded the high speed Thunder-cat and were off to enjoy a fun filled day at sea.  

   The boat zoomed over the waves and passed through deep water channels that were the breeding grounds for sharks.   

 The Whitsunday Island group is made up by 74 islands. We were able to see a handful of them as we cruised by, admiring their beauty from afar.   

 Sea turtles greeted us as we entered the protected water of Whitsunday Island. Leaving the Thundercat speed boat behind, we jumped into a smaller dingy that dropped us off on the sandy beach.  
   
From there David and I set off by foot (barefoot to be exact) toward the viewpoint. 
  Once we reached the top, we were both mesmerized by the beautiful shades of blue and turquoise that danced and swirled with the pure white sand. It was even more spectacular than we had every imagined.   

  After our mini photoshoot, we descended back down the trail, to make our way to the other side of the island. Filled with excitement and anticipation, we ignored the sweltering heat, the tiny sharp rocks that stuck to the bottoms of our feet and the possibility of twisting an ankle on the uneven ground. Our casual walking pace quickly transformed into a full out sprint to the end. Our feet were overjoyed as they were embraced by the softest, most pristine white sand!

  We took a dip in the clear lagoons and walked out to the close by swirling sandbars that we just saw from above. 

    
   
 The unforgettable beauty of Whitehaven Beach will be ingrained forever in our minds. As the patterns of sand and the colors of the water changed right before our very eyes, we were convinced that this place was truly magical.  

 
The wonderful crew had lunch set up for us onboard and then we were off to our second stop to do some snorkeling. 

  We met George the goliath grouper and saw many other tropical fish as well. 
    
    
    
   

Langford Island was our last stop for the day. David and I decided that instead of snorkeling with the sea turtles, that we wanted to spend our time exploring the island. So, we walked along the floating sandbar and collected seashells. Our tour was coming to an end, just in time, as we spotted the rain clouds moving in on us fast!  
    
    
  

We spent the last couple days in Arlie Beach taking shelter from the rain, which gave us plenty of time to get excited for our next city…Cairns!