Day 3: KDP and Back to the Mainland

On our last day aboard, I wanted to try stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) — but it was really too shaky. So I ended up doing KDP - kneel-down paddleboardning. 😄

During that short time in the water, and in spite of the stinger suit, I got stung by something — I quickly got out of the water, hoping it was just sea lice and not a harmful jellyfish sting (like box jellyfish / Irukandji). I was fine — probably indeed just sea lice — but it gave me a little scare. There’s a known presence of sharks and marine stingers in the waters around the Whitsundays. Swimming and snorkelling are safest between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., when sharks aren’t on the prowl.

(At night, vessels often keep blue/white water lights on to attract fish — which in turn attract reef sharks. On our nights aboard, we saw maybe 2–3 sharks, but they never came close. On other days or better locations you might see dozens. That’s the trade-off for calmer waters and better sleep.)

After the SUP attempt, we returned to mainland. I was thrilled to feel solid ground under my feet again — yet ironically, once I sat down, I felt more seasick on land than on the boat… 😅

All in all, I enjoyed the trip more than I expected (despite the seasickness). The meals onboard were delicious. And — perhaps most importantly — it was not a party boat: people were generally quiet, no smokers, drinking was moderate (I was happy with a few cold cans of coconut water — didn’t want to jinx it). Mealtimes were honestly the only moments I felt slightly uneasy on the shaky boat. The second night aboard also delivered blissful quality sleep. I shall miss that most of all.

Fast forward a few hours:
Today I also was due to fly back to Brisbane. I was worried because there was a severe storm warning — the sky looked ominous. Luckily, the storm turned out to be no big deal — just a bit of rain. We all boarded the plane, ready to take off.

But then we didn’t. During maintenance checks they found a loose screw. An engineer was called. He couldn’t fix it. The company got involved. Eventually we were let off the plane with a promise we’d still fly in 2–3 hours. So we waited at the airport. And waited. Then — by the time a “George-Clooney lookalike” JetStar employee came to inform us — our flight was cancelled.

The airline luckily provided accommodation. So I spent one night in the second nicest accommodation of my travels: a hotel called “Club Croc,” with a pool and a breakfast buffet. I do love a buffet. 🥐

But I couldn’t enjoy it long — we all had to return to the airport the next morning - on our own expense, hoping to get reimbursed. And let me tell you — dealing with the airline was complicated, infuriatingly so. But I think it‘s sorted out now.

Fast forward a few more hours to the next morning:
My Uber driver (back to the airport), who basically just does Ubering for fun and is actually a full-time pilot, told me the “loose screw” explanation given by the airline was basically a cover story to avoid panic. As it turns out, she was onto something — there is a real global recall on the Airbus A320 family. In late November 2025, Airbus ordered urgent software updates for around 6,000 A320 jets after discovering that intense solar radiation may corrupt flight-control data. The recall forced airlines worldwide — including Jetstar — to cancel or delay thousands of flights, so our cancellation makes sense.

Last fast forward, I promise:
I actually arrived back in Brisbane around noon the next day!Weiterlesen