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Tuesday - bold pod of dolphins approached the boat
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date: 2/9/2008
Author:Laura Smith
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Overcast morning that partially cleared in the afternoon | Air Temp: 24.5°C | Wind: S/SE 10-15 knots, increasing 15-20 knots in the evening | Water Temp: 21°C | Water Visibility: ~ 25 m | ea State: Calm
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
Grade 7 and 8 students from Varsity College went on a guided snorkel tour at midday - we couldn’t have asked for better conditions or a better display from the reef life. The crunching and cracking of a feeding school of herbivorous fish was audible from the moment we entered the water. Guests were able to watch as this school, including surgeonfish, parrotfish and rabbitfish, took hurried bites from one patch of the reef, before deciding the algae there was exhausted and synchronously sweeping to the next patch. A manta ray floated above a bommie as a cleaner wrasse made a meal of its parasites and dead skin. Another was seen within just a few minutes of the first, gliding past with its cephalic lobes curled for streamlining. Green turtles were also seen; it seems that larger greens are appearing more and more frequently with the approaching turtle nesting season.
The highlight of the glass bottom boat tour was the bold pod of dolphins that approached the boat within mere metres, treating guests to a close-up view of these amazing cetaceans. In the water, snorkellers were able to hear the clicks and squeaks emitted by these dolphins as they echolocate. Sound produced by the dolphins bounces off objects and is transmitted back– the echo they receive can be used to determine the size, shape and direction of movement of surrounding objects, and so is an excellent adaptation for hunting.
SCUBA divers were impressed by the water clarity, and were able to see mantas and eagle rays through 25 metres of visibility at The Blowhole. Marine biologist William, visiting with the University of Goettingen, captured a fantastic photo of the underbelly of a female manta – the special markings on the bellies can be used to identify individuals. Resort staff do not recognize this markings of this individual, so we are now trying to coming up with a name for our most recently sighted manta.
Just one guest accompanied on the reef walk this afternoon, but we had a wonderful time. This guest was clearly awed by what she saw and learnt. “It’s just so amazing that all of this is alive!” Having never visited a coral reef before, she delighted in every detail from a starry moray eel, to brightly coloured urchins to tiny coral polyps – even the old coral rubble from years of past growth. As a guide it was humbling for me to see her child-like excitement, and I am fondly taken back to my own first visit to a coral reef.
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Dolphin - Laura Smith
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