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Sunday - a large patch of anemones with lots of pink damselfish
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date: 18/1/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Overcast, showers, sun in the afternoon | Air Temp: 28°C | Win: SE 20/30 knots | Water Temp: 26°C | Water Visibility: ~ 20m | Sea State: Chop
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
It was a corker of a day here at Lady Elliot with near perfect conditions for the glass bottom boats! Several guests had never been snorkeling before and what an introduction they received. Huge schools of blue-green chromis hovered just off the reef crest feeding on plankton and creating an amazing iridescent shiny backdrop. Squid were seen swimming through a big rift in the coral and a magnificent emperor angelfish stunned everyone with its elegant colouring. A big male green turtle swam right under the boat and out over the reef edge just as three manta rays were coming back in. Three international guests screamed “Manta!” leaving everyone laughing and feeling amazing about the whole experience.
The Snorkel Safari in the afternoon went ahead with a small group of very enthusiastic guests. Along the way they were shown a large patch of anemones with lots of pink damselfish ducking in and out of them for protection. A flower cod was also seen under a coral outcrop and fascinated everybody with its sheer size. A huge school of fusilier seemed to follow the group along their journey and some black tip reef sharks were seen hanging out the back. It was a great expedition with everyone emerging at the end with beaming smiles across their faces.
The night reef walk was a lot of fun too. It was hard to see some of the creatures due to the prevailing southerly wind, but we had some guests with extremely keen eyes make some great discoveries. A very friendly eel let the group get really close and a fantastic Diadema urchin specimen was seen crossing a sandy path, coming out after a day of hiding among the coral. Its long sharp spines reminded everyone why we wear reef shoes in the water! Two Tunn Shells at the end of the walk left everyone in awe of this beautiful environment. Guests took home some memorable photos and the encounter totally topped off an amazing day on the reef.
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Pink Anemone - Jess
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