SWIMMING WITH WHALES ON THE SUNSHINE COAST, AUSTRALIA

 *Watch me chase after whales here!*

Ciara’s bucket list adventures (read about my skydiving here!) continued one sunny Sunday when I headed down the Sunshine Coast to Mooloolaba for something I didn’t even really know existed – swimming with whales. I’d heard of swimming with dolphins, sure, but swimming with whales? That’s next level.

We arrived at Sunreef on the Wharf to check in and get fitted for a wetsuit which we slipped into, and were then given a mask, snorkel, and fins. Once all twenty swimmers were prepped with the same, we hopped onboard our ship, Wild One, before heading out into the Marina. I loved slowly cruising through the harbour and admiring all of the beautiful houses I couldn’t dream of affording in a million years. Honestly, just spending the full trip just doing this would’ve been enough for me.

Once we exited the harbour, the fun really began as the boat picked up speed and we set off at an astonishing rate, bumping over the waves. It felt like a thrill ride, and was super fun! Again, more than happy to have just done this for the whole time.

However, we were indeed there for a purpose, and after heading out towards the horizon for about half an hour, we got wind of some whale activity, and so turned the boat to investigate. Sure enough, sprays of water (or what we actually discovered was steam) indicated that we were in luck. This was followed by some fins surfacing and then the piece de resistance – breaching. This is when a whale launches itself into the air, and then smashes down with a splash and a half.

This was without a doubt one of the coolest things I’d seen, and we got to see it again and again as our crew surmised that it was a mother teaching her calf how to breach, and so we got to watch the mother impressively breach followed by a bit floppier rendition by the calf. It was really, really amazing.

The crew made the executive decision that these whales probably weren’t the best to swim with as they were a bit too active (I suppose a breaching humpback whale landing on top of you isn’t the most preferable thing) so we carried on in search of more accommodating whales.

It looked like we might have found some such whales after a short while, but unfortunately, so had four other boats. The law states that only three boats are supposed to surround whales at a time, and with the pleasure boats showing no signs of moving on, we opted to do so because there would have been no chance of swimming with these whilst the other boats were still around.

Subsequently, we headed back to our first whales who appeared to have calmed down, and were given the go ahead to get ready. We zipped up our wetsuits, slipped on our fins and then sat down on the edge of the boat ready to splash in. Once we got the signal, we all flopped in and chased after the leader who was trying to find the best position for us to swim with the whales.

Alas, the whales made the decision to dive, and so we only heard ‘LOOK DOWN!’ before seeing the big masses swim off down into the ocean. I was fiddling around with the GoPro I’d brought which I couldn’t quite figure out, so missed capturing it on film, but did see one of the whales swim down, down, down into the deep blue sea.

With one attempt out of the way, we headed back onto the boat and continued chasing whales so that the second group could have a go, and then it was our second go. This time we were sat on the side of the boat for quite a while as we tried to gauge when and where the whales would surface, often overshooting them, but we did eventually get into the ocean and chase after them, but only to see a few pectoral slaps on the surface.

Sure, we mightn’t have gotten super close to the whales, but I did see a whale swimming underwater, and indeed swam with whales myself, and I’d call that a success. Add to this seeing the amazing whale breaches, our thrill boat ride, and the cool Marina cruise, and I’d had a great day. Definitely something I’d recommend, and an experience I’m thrilled to have had.

I hope you enjoyed reading today's blog! To stay up to date with my Australian adventures, make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and I'd love to hear your recommendations for other must do bucket list items, so please drop me a comment below - thanks for reading!

Travel: NOOSA NATIONAL PARK, Queensland, Australia

With a National Park right on my doorstep, I figured I might as well get out and explore it. My journey began at the Noosa Surf Club off of Hastings Street in Noosa Heads. I’ll definitely be taking the time to check out Hastings Street on another adventure, as this seems to be a key shopping and dining promenade in Noosa.

There were already plenty of people heading the same way as I was, and some who looked like they were even coming back from the National Park, no doubt having been out for a 5am hike that morning! This seemed like a good sign to me – if so many people were out to explore the National Park, then it must be pretty good!

Right behind the Surf Club is Noosa Main Beach. This was already idyllic, and we hadn’t even made it into the National Park yet! Even mid-morning at the time I arrived, the beach was already pretty busy, families taking the opportunity to swim in the calm blue water or relax under canopies on the sand.

Past the Main Beach, I headed up a boardwalk which offered great views over Main Beach and some of the smaller and less busy beaches beyond it. Much of this section was covered with trees and surrounded by grassland, so it wasn’t long before I came across a python chilling in the grass – certainly something I wouldn’t stumble across back in the UK!

Continuing on, you pass view after view and beach after beach, some of which were practically deserted. There’s so many beaches here, you can almost have one to yourself! I paused at Dolphin Point to gaze out over the ocean and keep an eye out for any dolphins, but none seemed to be showing themselves at the time.

I’d read about a place called the Fairy Pools, which isn’t technically on the map nor any routes, as it’s not the easiest place to get to. However, it is on Google Maps, so pop that in and it should lead you right there. Scrambling over a few rocks down a track off the main path, I found the pools – large rock pools hidden from view of passersby which hung out over the ocean. There were a few people floating in them when I arrived, and it was easy to see why with the Instagram-worthy location. No doubt there’s not the easiest to get out of though!

Onwards and upwards, I soon arrived at Hell’s Gates, the highest point on my journey and without a doubt the windiest. However, the breeze was pretty refreshing given the hot sun beating down as I walked along, so this was actually pretty pleasant.

Things only got better as I wound my way down the track onto Alexandria Bay, by far the most beautiful part of the whole walk, and that’s saying something. A long stretch of beach lay ahead of me, the waves lapping the shore, shallow enough to walk through at the edge if you don’t mind getting your shoes wet. Again, this beach was relatively deserted, with just a few walkers like me and the occasional (usually nude) swimmer -  this seemed to be a secluded enough location for that activity.

I could happily have stayed in beautiful Alexandria Bay for hours, but this was a 10km walk and there was still a bit more to be done. Where the path continued wasn’t exactly clear, but I figured if I just walked to the other end of the beach I’d pick it up again. Then it’s a bit of uphill walking as you return high enough for pretty views, before reaching the end of the coastal walk at the edge of Sunshine Beach. The view here was utterly spectacular, sea and sand stretching along the coast as far as the eyes could see.

This one way journey had taken me about two hours to complete, and quite frankly I could’ve happily called it a day then, but alas I had to make the trek back. Of course I didn’t mind, as it meant even more beautiful views on the way back, this time from a different direction.

All in all, it was about a three and a half hour walk, so I had a well-deserved acai bowl at the end, and am excited to see what other treat options there are for future walks. I have no doubt that this excursion will become a pretty regular occurrence for my time in Noosa, and I look forward to sharing more of my Sunshine Coast adventures with you soon!

I hope you enjoyed today's adventure! Were there any parts of the National Park I missed? Drop me a message in the comments below. I'll be posting plenty more of my Australia trips to the blog, so make sure to stay tuned and follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry to be notified once they're up - thanks for reading!