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A dozen Turtle hatchlings had emerged
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date: 16/3/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Overcast | Air Temp: 28°C | Wind: SE 10/15 knots | Water Temp: 27°C | Water Visibility: ~20 m | Sea State: Calm
Morning broke to blue skies and sunshine on Lady Elliot Island creating serene snorkeling conditions.
Guests on the glass bottom boats were very fortunate to see a Marlin leaping high out of the water in the distance today. It was massive and the spectacle was absolutely amazing as it thrust its entire body towards the sky coming down with a splash. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing out there! Loads of juvenile green turtles were out sunning themselves around second reef looking very docile and not minding the human attention at all. Everyone was in awe of our Manta rays today. They were at first scared seeing a giant mouth coming towards them in the water, but they quickly learnt that they eat very small plankton and watched in awe as it cruised past and disappeared out beyond the reef into the deep blue.
In the evening reef trivia was cancelled because of some very exciting discoveries! A dozen Turtle hatchlings had emerged from their nest and had become disoriented with the lights of the resort. Some guests discovered them under one of the units so staff collected them up to be released at the Coral Gardens where it was much darker. Turtle hatchlings race towards the lowest point in the horizon and generally this is the brightest part of the sky, therefore artificial lights can create a false horizon and lead them in the wrong direction. Tonight we used this to our advantage by putting our guests in a line with their legs apart creating a tunnel, where torches were then shone up the beach to guide them to the water. Everybody thought it was great to get involved, particularly the kids who were rapt to be a part of it. At the end guests had so many great questions about the turtles
On the way back home the most amazing shooting star came across the runway leaving a blazing trail behind it. It turned the night sky into day, and guests unanimously agreed it was the most spectacular one they had ever seen. Some of the guests believed that this was a sign from the heavens that the little turtle hatchlings would be those small few that survived and come back to breed in 30 years time!
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Green Turtle - Al Jones
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