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the Manta’s were back in full swing
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date: 24/5/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Sun with a late afternoon change
Air Temp: 21.9ºC
Wind: SW/NW 5-10 knots
Water Visibility: ~20 m
Sea State: Calm
Today the Manta’s were back in full swing and guests were loving it.
The westerly winds were promoting a boom of plankton in the water and the Manta’s were swooping up and back past the lighthouse with their big mouths open taking it all in. It was a ridiculous spectacle to see so many Manta’s in the one area and for those that had never seen them before it was one heck of an introduction.
Second reef was swarming with blue-green chromis that were also enjoying the plankton in the water. A giant loggerhead turtle caught everybody’s attention surfacing right next to guests for a breath. It was an easy creature to get a photo of and I’m sure guests will have a great story to tell their friends about when they go home.
The divers had amazing luck today positively identifying a Japanese Devil Ray. This enigmatic creature is extremely rare and very little is known of its biology so it was absolutely thrilling for all that were there to see it. Project Manta, University of Queensland’s Manta Ray research team will be back out to Lady Elliot Island shortly and we are sure the photos will be something that they will be interested in. Green turtles were in great abundance throughout the dive and guests had some great close encounters with them.
At fish feeding some baitfish were leaping out of the water that were being chased by a long tom. It was really cool to see this predatory fish in action from the convenience of the shoreline.
In the evening guest relaxed at Island Whispers and enjoyed some nibbles while looking over the days photos. It was an unreal day again here at Lady Elliot with lots of great memories made. |
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Manta -J Fox
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