 |
|
An enormous humpback whale breached in the distance
|
date: 6/8/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
|
Weather: Sunny
Air Temp: 22.5ºC
Wind: SE 10-15 knots
Water Temp: 20ºC
Water Visibility: 15m ~
Sea State: Calm
What a superb morning we had here at Lady Elliot Island.
The glass bottom boat experienced beautifully smooth conditions and some of the islands bigger wildlife dropping by for a visit. An enormous humpback whale breached in the distance sending a huge splash into the sky. They are just such spectacular creatures to watch and everybody’s jaw practically hit the floor when they saw it. A pod of dolphins also made a star appearance riding the bow wave of the boat and tumbling around in the clear water. They are a less common visitor out at Lady Elliot so it was quite a treat for our guests.
The guided reef walk in the afternoon was also one of the highlights of the day with guests coming across some very interesting invertebrates in channel one. A tun shell was found which is a carnivorous mollusc that is most active at night and has a large very attractive shell. This one however was no longer home to the original creature but had become a house for a big red hermit crab. Hermit crabs as they grow are constantly on the lookout for new shells. If they find one that looks ok they try it on, test it for cornering, maneuverability, speed and if they like it claim it as a new home. Guests thought this was quite funny. Luckily we are in a Green Zone, and under the marine park protection it means these shells will always be available for hermit crabs to live in. Another incredible find today was a monstrous clam shell. It had been seen many months earlier, but had become detached and transported about 200m away from its original position by the wind and currents. Not only was this clam huge but it also had some of the most extravagant colours that anyone had ever seen. Green, turquoise, aqua and violet were some of the bright colours on the clam’s mantel. Everybody took some fantastic photos that will remind them of this terrific find.
In the evening guests came along to the dangerous marine creatures presentation. They were fascinated by the functionality of the marine creatures adaptations. For instance the stonefish is not a very good swimmer. So it relies on camouflage to catch prey. It basically sits in the sand with its mouth open then lunges up and engulfs its prey. The fact that it sits on the bottom motionless means that it is left as an easy target for bottom feeding creatures like sharks and rays. So this fish has developed thirteen venomous spines along its back ensuring any animal that might consider it as lunch gets a nasty shock. It gave guests a whole new respect for these incredible animals and was another great discovery out here on the reef.
|
|
Black belly whale - Al
|
click to download flash player