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manta rays were coming from everywhere
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date: 12/8/2009
Author:Nick Brennan
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Weather: Sunny and mild
Air Temp: șC
Wind: North West 10-15knots
Water Temp: 20șC
Water Visibility: 20m +
Sea State: Moderate
It was another great day to get out and enjoy the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with sunny skies and light winds making for mild enjoyable conditions.
On the Glassbottom boat today the manta rays were coming from everywhere and feeding right on the surface. It was a great opportunity for guests to observe just how different these creatures are from stingrays. Their dorsal fins were breaking the surface and their cephalic lobes were curled into an O shape indicating that they were in a feeding pattern. The blue green chromis and the fusilier also appeared heavily throughout the boat signifying the abundance of plankton present in the water. Another beautiful fish that came under the glass bottom today was the peacock trout. This spectacular fish was really large and if you look very closely has neon blue spots covering its body.
The scuba divers had a sensational day in the water seeing all the big creatures. On the way to the dive site they passed a pod of humpback whales and that pretty much set the scene for the rest of the dive. Shortly into the dive a silvertip shark passed the group. This amazing predator impressed everybody with its streamlined shape and fierce appearance. The Mantas came past to say hi and then a school of eagle rays came gracefully over the group with their 9m long tails trailing topping off a tremendous dive.
In the evening guests gathered in the bar for reef trivia. Some of the answers people gave were very funny and made for a light hearted end to a great day here on Lady Elliot.
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