 |
|
Thursday -A beautiful semi-circle angelfish dazzled snorkellers
|
date: 1/1/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
|
CONDITIONS
Weather: Hot and sunny | Air Temp: 31°C | Wind: N/NE 10/15 knots | Water Temp: 26°C | Water Visibility: ~ 20 m | Sea State: Fairly calm
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
A tiny isolated coral cay 80 kilometres from continental land, a raucousness of bird life nesting, a prime turtle nesting area and a reef wonderland concealed beneath the surface of surrounding waters – what a place to awaken on the very first morning of a brand new year!!
The water is even clearer than yesterday and so much life was seen on the surface from the glass-bottom boat, including a zippy white-spotted eagle ray and oh-so-many little green turtles! Two young brothers were terribly excited by all the creatures around them in the water, and together tried to count the number of individuals in a dazzling school of blue-green chromis – an impossible task! Lots of interesting plankton floated through the water; harmless comb jellies drifted by, catching the sunlight on the comb rows running down the bodies and reflecting back the most beautiful moving rainbows! Blue-tinged bell jellyfish (again, entirely harmless) pulsed through the water in impressive numbers. A white-tip reef shark was spotted cruising around Second Reef.
A wonderful time was had on today’s guided shore snorkel! A little black-tip reef shark was a thrilling find to kick-start the adventure. A beautiful semi-circle angelfish dazzled snorkellers with its graceful movements and neon-blue colour markings outlining its body. A welcome surprise was the appearance of an enormous manta ray unusually close to shore – it was seen only about 10 metres from the edge of the reef flat! The behaviour of cleaner wrasse as they scoured other fish for a meal of nutritious dead skin cells and parasites was fascinating to watch. Guests were intrigued to learn about the sly mimic blenny, a fish that closely resembles the cleaner wrasse. The blenny takes advantage of the mutualistic relationship shared by the cleaner wrasse and host fish. By mimicking the appearance and movements of the little wrasse, the blenny tricks the host fish into a false sense of trust. When the host is relaxed and displaying inviting behaviour to the little mimic, the blenny darts forward, tears a bite of flesh off the unsuspecting host, and makes a quick getaway!
A visit by an epaulette shark at fish feeding today was an exciting bonus. Onlookers had a clear view of the little shark in shallow water, as it passed in front of the group. It then turned around and swam back again, as if to make sure that everyone had had a good look!
The evening Night Stalk tour wrapped up the first day of 2009 here on Lady Elliot Island. Hermit crabs, mutton birds and green tree frogs were sighted, and the rich and sometimes creepy history around the graveyards and lighthouses was revealed.
|
|
Hermit Crab - Laura Smith
|
click to download flash player