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several humpback whales that were all traveling closely together in a big convoy

date: 12/7/2009
Author:Nick Brennan

Weather: Sunny
Wind: SE 5-10 knots
Water Temp: 21ºC
Water Visibility: 15m
Sea State: Calm

The wind dropped even further today creating pleasant conditions for our guests.

One of the glass bottom boats was lucky enough to spot several humpback whales that were all traveling closely together in a big convoy. Whales can be a bit finicky disappearing for long periods of time before reappearing in the distance but today they were happy to surface in front of everybody and make for some great photos. Further in the distance the whales were very active, breaching and doing fin and tail slaps much to everybody’s excitement. Out at second reef the snorkeling was very enjoyable. One turtle surfaced about one metre from a woman and proceeded to take breaths and look at her without any sign of fear or worry. It was absolutely unforgettable. The six barred wrasse is a very pretty and colourful little fish that raised some attention as it was very friendly and curious of our snorkelers. One woman was even able to give this fish a little tickle on the tummy as it came up and stared straight into her mask.

On the island discovery tour in the afternoon, guests were rapt to see a Red-tailed tropic bird sitting up under the island suites. This amazing bird spends its whole life out at sea hovering over the ocean and only returns to land when it comes time to nest. These birds aren’t usually found nesting on level ground (they prefer cliff faces!) so we are very lucky to have them here and able to be observed at such close range. Recently we had a confirmed sighting of an egg so we are excited that soon we might be looking at a cute little chick on our island discovery tours!

In the evening guests came along to the education centre where the Greg Grainger documentary “Australia’s Greatest Islands” was screening. It shows beautiful Manta Rays, whales and turtles and many of the guests could identify it with their experiences here over the last few days. It really is an amazing time to come and explore Lady Elliot Island so we hope to see you soon!

tropic bird close up - J Fox