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a large carnivorous mollusc

date: 13/8/2009
Author:Nick Brennan

Weather: Sunny
Air Temp: ºC
Wind: North West 10-15 knots
Water Temp: 20ºC
Water Visibility: 20m
Sea State: Moderate

The wind increased a bit today but the sky remained clear and the temperature very mild so it was still a great day to explore the reef.

On the glass bottom boat guests saw loads of Manta Rays. The guide explained that over in Western Australia there are companies that actually seek out the Manta Rays with planes, then mark the location with a GPS and send boats full of tourists out to go and have a look. Well here on this island we don’t have to swim more than 100m to see two dozen of them! It was sensational watching them gracefully swoop up the current lines feeding on the plankton. The water was obviously plankton soup today with numerous brightly coloured fish feeding. Some large squid also attracted a lot of attention shooting through the water as a pair. Right at the end of the last Glass Bottom boat the humpback whales came past capping off a very exciting morning in the water.

When asked what the divers saw today they replied “Everything!” Whales showed up for the boat ride out, under water the mantas amused guests, a pregnant bullray was lying on the bottom, and various sharks and turtles were seen making for an unbelievable underwater experience.

In the evening guests came on a Night Reef Walk. The reef completely transforms at night and guests were able to see some of the amazing creatures that come out when the guard changes. The tun shell is a large carnivorous mollusc that was actively foraging over the reef. Its shell was amazing and some of the guests recognised it as a shell they had seen washed up on the beach. The asses ear abalone was another fascinating mollusc that moved very quickly when the torch shone on it. Among other great finds was a sleeping box fish allowing everybody to see its incredible colours and a big red octopus that was changing location. It was a fantastic way to conclude a big day of discovery here on the Great Barrier Reef.