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The outer bommies were a sea snake haven
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date: 19/7/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Sunny
Air Temp: 21.3ºC
Wind: SE 10 knots
Water Temp: 21ºC
Water Visibility: 30m +
Sea State: Calm
This morning presented guests with absolutely pristine conditions to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef.
The glass bottom boat steamed out to the lighthouse bommies where the visibility was absolutely incredible and lots of green turtles were enjoying a mid morning nap in the crevices of the reef. The turtles looked beautiful and everybody gushed at how cute they were. The only thing was they got a little bit hard to see due to all the other life in the water. Fusiliers and blue-green chromis were in enormous abundance due to the plankton and the manta rays swooped past raising excitement levels on the boat even higher. When everybody climbed into the water to snorkel they were blown away. There are 1000 species of fish estimated to be in the Capricorn Bunker Group of islands (where we are!) and one woman today said she didn’t doubt it at all. The colour and activity was breath taking.
Divers saw a great cross section of life on the reef as well today. The tawny nurse shark provided entertainment as it lumbered across the sandy bottom through the group. The outer bommies were a sea snake haven making for another interesting discovery. These amazing reptiles breathe air but are capable of staying submerged for up to eight hours due to their lungs that extend from their head right through to the base of their tail. They are also very venomous and have a somewhat unsavory reputation that is generally due to a lack of understanding. These creatures are reluctant to use their venom for anything other than feeding and are not in the least bit aggressive. Divers today enjoyed watching them move about the coral with their characteristic exaggerated swimming motion and found them to be an animal of great beauty. The other animal on the dive of great note were the stingrays. There were estimated to be about 15 of them and they were everywhere; half submerged under the sand and some were even being cleaned by the fish on the bommies. They are also a very misunderstood creature that poses little threat to humans unless provoked. It was a great day of thought shifts about the amazing animals of the reef.
In the evening guests enjoyed a glass of wine while watching the great documentary “Australia’s Greatest Islands” by Greg Grainger. After a long day in the water a good documentary on a large screen was a very relaxing way to spend the evening |
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fusiliers- J Howard
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