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a breaching humpback whale that made the hugest splash imaginable
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date: 17/6/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Sunny
Air Temp: 21.4ºC
Wind: SE 10-15 knots
Water Temp: 22ºC
Water Visibility: 15m
Sea State: Calm
Snorkellers enjoyed pleasant conditions over at the coral gardens today and were fortunate to have a Tawny nurse shark come past for a visit. This slow moving shark eats crabs and small fish off the sea floor with a powerful sucking action. It received all the attention while it came past before disappearing back into deep water. The hump headed parrot fish also received considerable attention after guests discovered this fish can process one ton of sand per year as a result of scraping off the dead coral surface while grazing on algae. Its beautiful colours were vivid through the water. From the glass bottom boat guests quickly turned their attention to a breaching humpback whale that made the hugest splash imaginable. It was very impressive and continued to keep breaching right around the island.
The island discovery tour observed a red-tailed tropic bird that was sitting up in front of the Island Suites. It is humorous to watch this bird walk on the land as it has its legs set very far back on its body. This is a great adaptation for flying and swimming but not so for terrestrial movement. This works well for the tropic bird asit spends most of its life out at sea, only coming back to shore to nest. Also on the discovery tour guests learned how the beach rock formed low on the islands shore. The island is not volcanic at all which makes the formation of this rock quite perplexing. The reason the rock actually forms is because of the bird poo! There are elements of guano which cannot be dissolved in sea water and thus they drop out where the freshwater meets the salt water under the sand and acts as a glue which bonds the sand together to form a rock-like substance! Incredible.
Fish feeding was great fun on the high tide because more fish are able to make their way over the reef. “Nigel” the silver drummer even showed up today for a visit, as well as the always attractive moon wrasse with its vivid blue and green colouring.
Guests enjoyed a beautiful dinner before being entertained in the education centre with another presentation by the ever informative David Ireland! It was a great way to finish after a big day of discovery!
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amazing breach - A Jones
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