A week after two near fatal shark attacks, we were snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef at Hook Island!
As parents, we can honestly say there was some stress involved when booking our trip out from Airlie Beach. It would be abnormal not to worry, especially as one of the victims was a 12 year old child.
BUT, we are of the mindset that we are entering the ocean, which is home to sharks and all other amazing creatures. There is always risk involved when swimming in the ocean, and we were thinking of the victims and their families as we set sail.
And sail we did!
Instead of booking a motor boat, we set sail on the Derwent Hunter. A legit sail boat built in Tasmania as a commercial fishing vessel and now proudly runs as a tourism vessel in the Whitsundays.
The boys helped to raise the sails and we cruised to Hook Island to snorkel for about two hours in total at two locations. The kids were going nuts about the colourful coral and SO MANY fish! Sometimes it was hard to distinguish if Skye was screaming for joy or terror.
"Did you see a shark, Skye?" 🦈👀"No mum, just a huge parrot fish!"
After a huge buffet lunch, we sailed back to Airlie Beach, enjoying the sound of the ocean waves and the wind in the sails. It was magic.
It was a big day, starting at 7.30am and returning back to the marina at 4.30pm. A family pass cost $525. Stinger suits and lunch included. We brought our own wetsuits so we were able to stay in the water for the full amount of time without feeling cold.
You can bring your own diving and snorkelling gear but you won't be able to wear your weight belt for safety reasons.
We highly recommend sailing The Whitsundays on The Derwent Hunter, it's a unique experience and the Captain & crew are excellent with the kids!
Take a look at our experiences here in this YouTube video.
