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The always intriguing trumpet fish was in the area
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date: 5/2/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Sunny | Air Temp: 28.1°C | Wind: SE 20/25 knots | Water Temp: 27°C | Water Visibility: ~15 m | Sea State: Chop
It was a magnificent day of weather with sunny skies and a beautiful blue ocean.
The Divers had a great experience with the Manta Rays in the morning. A pair of them circled up and down the current line in a feeding train swooping right over everybody. At Anchor bombie an octopus was taking cover in a narrow crevice and only became visible to the divers when it moved to swim to another hiding place. Octopus are always tricky to see because they can change their colour quickly using special muscle fibres to reflect the light, allowing them to camouflage themselves against their background. It was a real treat for the divers to observe this unusual cryptic creature at close range.
On the glass bottom boat guests loved the parrot fish, especially the variety of colours that they come in. Guests learnt about the parrotfish’s eating habits and were astounded to hear that a single parrot fish can produce about one ton of sand each year with its hard beak. The always intriguing trumpet fish was in the area once again and raised a lot of interest as it looks so unlike the other fish. One guest said he had seen a very large darkly coloured fish and when he swam close to it realized it had bright neon blue spots on it. He was interested to know what it was so after some research with staff in the education centre he discovered what he had seen was a very large coral trout. He recognized the name as a commercial species and decided that the fish looks much better swimming in the water than it does on a dinner plate!
At Island Whispers guests enjoyed some nibbles and had a chat with the staff about what they had seen during the day. One lady was particularly interested in the frigate birds that she had seen gliding gracefully high up in the sky. She was amazed that they don’t go diving for fish themselves and that they are actually big bullies that hassle other birds for their food.
In the evening guests relaxed playing a game of Reef Bingo at the bar before heading out to see some turtles that were nesting on the beach. It was a really fun day for everyone here at Lady Elliot Island and I’m sure the guests will have made some great memories they will keep forever
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Trumpet fish and coral trout- Jess Howard
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