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Saturday - A huge female loggerhead swam right across second reef
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date: 3/1/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Morning showers and a sunny afternoon! Air Temp: 27.5 | Wind: SE 25-30knots | Water Temp: 26°C | Water Visibility: ~20m | Sea State: Chop
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
It was a great day of discovery here at Lady Elliot with a lot learned and seen.
On the glass bottom boats some of the guests spotted an olive sea snake that is now believed to be a resident of the area and has been given the name Anthony. They were fascinated by its graceful movement through the water and how quickly it could move.
A huge female loggerhead swam right across second reef in front of the guests giving them a massive thrill and a great story to take home with them.
On the tucker tour guests are put into the hypothetical situation of surviving after being stranded on Lady Elliot Island (Frankly we think it would be awesome!). The guests had some very resourceful and ingenious idea’s of how to obtain water and build shelter and were surprised at the medicinal properties of vegetation such as the octopus bush. Along the way everyone stopped to observe some new, very cute, buff banded rail chicks that were darting in and out of the foliage at the education centre.
We had a group of very world conscious guests attend the island discovery tour today that had clearly been moved by their experiences out on the reef. They asked some brilliant questions about global warming, nutrient pollution, the crown of thorns starfish and the future of the Great Barrier Reef. The guide Laura, was more than happy to answer these questions and was rapt at the enthusiasm to help protect this incredible part of the world.
After dinner Laura presented her Fish Identification lecture to a full house of guests. They were all fascinated by the intricate adaptations the tropical reef fish have made to survive in such a diverse environment. Of particular fascination were the clown fish and their relationship with anemones and the butterfly fish with their long snout to munch on coral polyps.
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loggerhead turtle - Jenni Fox
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click to download flash player