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A giant bull ray was also seen sitting on the bottom
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date: 19/2/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Sunshine beautiful sunshine! | Air Temp: 28°C | Wind: Variable light wind | Water Temp: 27°C | Water Visibility: ~ 20 m | Sea State: Calm
At dawn it looked like it was going to be a wonderful day. The sun rose with not a cloud in the sky, the ocean sparkled green and everybody was keen to get wet!
The snorkel boat was unbelievable with Manta Rays showing up consistently the whole time. There was an abundance of plankton in the water and the fish were having a fantastic time eating it up making for an amazing underwater spectacle. Sharks, stingrays and turtles were in abundance through the duration of the snorkel boat and made for some unforgettable memories.
Guests took a reef walk in the lagoon and spotted some Blue Linckia sea stars that created a striking contrast against the reef bottom. They were also very impressed with a pencil slate urchin that had found itself a nice crevice to hide in.
On the afternoon dive leopard sharks were in abundance and cruised past the groups a number of times. A giant bull ray was also seen sitting on the bottom having a rest. Sting rays can actually sit on the bottom motionless because they have a special orifice known as a spiracle behind their eye. This basically allows water to flow over the gills even when the creature is still! It was a great find and let many of the divers get really close and get some great photos.
After dinner guests had a fun game of reef bingo. As a prize those lucky few that came had the opportunity to come and release some turtles on the beach afterwards. It was a very special treat for the small crowd with the children absolutely loving it. But that wasn’t the last we saw of turtles for the day. A nest came up right in front of the bar at 9 O’clock and before long the whole beach was covered in tiny green turtles! They had been attracted by the lights of the bar, so with staff supervision the guests helped to collect them all up. When they were all in the bucket they were counted and came to a total of 114 little hatchlings! They were then taken over to the dark side of the Island where they were released in front of a very excited crowd. The last little stragglers eventually made it to the water with guests cheering them along the length of their journey. It was such a special occasion and everybody laughed and talked the whole way back to their rooms about what an amazing day they had.
Special Guests:
Welcome to University of New South Wales!
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Ray in Sand - Al Jones
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