Whitehaven Beach Full-Day Eco Cruise with Buffet Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach and Coral Sea Marina: the start of the day

Airlie Beach is the mainland base for the Whitsunday Islands, a small resort town on the Queensland coast where almost every island trip begins. The day starts with a bus pickup from your accommodation in Airlie Beach, Cannonvale or Jubilee Pocket, which brings you to the check-in desk at the northern end of Coral Sea Marina, meeting point B, 30 minutes before the 09:00 departure. Pickups begin about 1.5 hours before departure depending on where you are staying, so an early breakfast is a good idea.

The catamaran is purpose-built for these waters: wide, fast and stable, with shaded seating, open decks and a toilet on board, which makes it a comfortable choice for anyone worried about seasickness. A morning snack of homemade brownies is served as you leave the marina and the islands rise ahead of you. A Whitehaven Beach day trip from Airlie Beach on a boat this quick means more time on the beach and the reef and less time travelling.

Snorkelling the fringing reefs of the Whitsundays

The Whitsunday Islands sit inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and the coral that grows around their shores is called fringing reef. The first stop of the day is at one of these reefs, chosen by the crew for the best visibility and calmest water on the day. You snorkel straight off the boat over coral gardens with parrotfish, wrasse, clownfish and often turtles, and because the reefs are close to the islands the water is usually sheltered and shallow enough for beginners.

Whitsundays snorkelling here is quieter than the outer reef pontoons and takes much less travel time, which is why it suits a day that also includes the beach. A mask and snorkel are provided, with a stinger suit in summer and a wetsuit in the cooler months; fins are not included. You should be a confident swimmer to snorkel, and the crew watches from the boat and the water throughout each 40-minute stop.

Hook Island: caves, valleys and coral at the northern tip

Hook Island is the second-largest island in the Whitsundays, a rugged, forested island with deep fjord-like inlets on its southern side and some of the best coral in the group along its northern tip. The second snorkelling stop of the day is here, at a site where the reef drops into underwater valleys and small caves, with large plate corals, schools of fish and the chance of seeing turtles and reef sharks resting on the sand below. The crew chooses the exact bay according to the wind and the tide.

Hook Island snorkelling is a highlight for experienced snorkellers because of the variety of the terrain, while beginners can stay over the shallower coral near the boat. The order of the two snorkel stops and the beach can change from day to day with the conditions, so the crew explains the plan as you leave the marina. Between stops the catamaran crosses the open water of the Whitsunday Passage with views of island after island.

Whitehaven Beach: seven kilometres of silica sand

Whitehaven Beach stretches for about seven kilometres along the eastern side of Whitsunday Island, the largest island in the group and entirely national park. Its sand is almost pure silica, so fine and white that it stays cool underfoot even at midday and squeaks when you walk on it, and the shallow water over the sand glows a pale turquoise. The catamaran anchors off the northern end of the beach and the crew ferries you ashore for a buffet lunch of cold sliced meats, cheeses, salads and fresh bread served on the sand.

After lunch and the lookout walk there is free time to swim, float in the shallows or simply walk the beach, with about 1.5 hours on Whitehaven in total. Visiting Whitehaven Beach is the main reason most people come to the Whitsundays, and arriving by boat with lunch included is the simplest way to do it. There is no shade on the beach, so a hat, sunscreen and a long-sleeved rash top are worth bringing.

Hill Inlet Lookout and the swirling sands

At the northern end of Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet is a tidal estuary where the silica sand and the turquoise water blend into swirling patterns that change with every tide. The viewpoint above it, Hill Inlet Lookout, is reached by a guided bush walk of about 45 minutes return through the forest, during which the crew talk about the history of the island and its traditional owners. The walk is on a formed track with some steps and gentle climbs, manageable for children of 4 and over and adults of average fitness.

The view from Hill Inlet Lookout is the most photographed in the Whitsundays, and the patterns are most dramatic around low tide when more of the sandbanks are exposed, although the lookout is worth the walk at any tide. After the walk you return to the beach for free time, then an afternoon snack of fresh fruit is served on the cruise back to Airlie Beach, with the bus returning you to your accommodation at about 17:00.