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an enormous school of Big-eye Trevally
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date: 16/2/2009
Author:Jess Howard
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Weather: Sunny, patchy clouds | Air Temp: 26ºC | Wind: North Westerly 5-10 knots | Water Temp: 26ºC | Water Visibility: 15 metres | Sea State: Calm
The island awoke to a slight shower this morning, but the rain didn’t set in and it was warm and sunny by 9am. Early divers at the Severence Wreck found massive female turtles having their naps on the ocean floor wedged in under plate coral. Also spotted under a big wedge of coral was a White-tip reef shark, also having a nap. White-tip reef sharks, unlike other species of shark, don’t always have to be swimming to feed water through their gills. They just constantly flex their gills whilst stationary to get the same effect. The Glassbottom boat headed out three times during the morning, finding lots of turtles, surfacing beside the boat, one Black-tip reef shark and an enormous school of Big-eye Trevally swimming in a massive circle.
The morning birdwatching tour stopped to look at the gorgeous chicks that are filling up the island. The white-capped Noddy and Common Noddy chicks have the most mischievous faces, and the Bridled tern chicks go into hiding any time someone draws close to them. How Cute!! The Crested Tern chicks, with wings too big for their bodies are one of the sweetest as they run, hop, skip and jump to remove themselves from the centre of the airstrip.
Afternoon island discoverers enjoyed watching the Buff-Banded Rail chicks chasing one another through the Pisonia Grove. The little black darlings, all vying for Mum and Dads attention were chasing each other around in circles before lining up to head off after their parents again.
Fish Feeding drew a big crowd as the hot sun temporarily slipped behind a cloud and a cool change briefly swept over the fish pool. The adult mullet decided to show up in a huge bunch to dominate the fish pool today, and the smaller Sergeant Majors sped around in circles trying to beat the mullet to the food.
Reef Trivia quizzed everybody on their knowledge of the island and the Great Barrier Reef before being interrupted by little treasures wondering up to try their hand at some questions. Three Green Turtle Hatchlings were found by trivia buffs, wandering up to the bar. They were successfully released into the fish pool. Congratulations to team “NEMO” who won the final trivia count!
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Big Eyed Trevally - Jess Howard
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