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A black tip reef shark also came by
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date: 25/2/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Overcast | Air Temp: 28°C | Wind: SE 20/30 knots | Water Temp: 26°C | Water Visibility: ~ 20m | Sea State: Chop
On the glass bottom boat today guests were fortunate to come across all three types of turtles seen at Lady Elliot Island which are the green turtle, the loggerhead turtle and the hawksbill turtle. That massive male loggerhead turtle which has been seen so frequently lately was around again today and gave some guests a fright by suddenly surfacing next to them. He gave them a big smile while they snapped their cameras crazily before lumbering on into deeper water. Manta rays were also seen putting on a sensational display out at Light house bommie swooping and looping along the current. A black tip reef shark also came by for the later boats putting a tick in all the boxes for the big stuff to see while snorkeling. It was really a great day for the glass bottom boat.
On the reef walk guests came across some bright yellow bleached coral and learnt about the conditions that cause coral to bleach. The university group had recorded water temperatures of up to 40 degrees in the lagoon. Corals are robust enough to withstand short periods of disturbance like that but after a few days above 31 degrees they will start to expel the microscopic algae that provide them with energy. This results in a vividly bright colouration at first before fading to white when the animal dies. It was something that touched guests as they realised what sort of damage this might cause to this special place. Later in the walk the group came across two beautiful blue linckia sea stars and were fascinated to hear that this species can regenerate broken limbs if they become wounded. Another guest also spotted a very brightly coloured mantis shrimp right in close to the shore. They were quite well camouflaged and were a rare find in the shallow lagoon.
After dinner guests came along to the Dangerous Marine Creature presentation. People were fascinated by the sharks and especially their amazing sensory mechanisms such as the lateral line which gives sharks a sense of distant touch and helps them locate prey. Guests agreed that they are very well equipped hunting machines.
In all it was a great day of learning and discovery out here at Lady Elliot Island with nothing but big smiles across the board.
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White Tip Reef Shark - Al Jones
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click to download flash player