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, a Pink Anemone fish was scooting in and out of its host anemone

date: 13/9/2009
Author:Nick Brennan

Weather: Sunshine
Air Temp: 26ºC
Wind: South East/ East 10- 15 knots
Water Temp: 23ºC
Water Visibility: 20m
Sea State: Calm

What another fantastic day it was out here at Lady Elliot Island. Beautiful sunny skies as far as the eye can see, zero wind and luminous turquoise water made for a scene of perfection.

The glass bottom boats saw all the amazing plankton feeding fish such as the blue green chromis, scissortail fusilier and numerous damselfish. Guests couldn’t believe how friendly they all were, acting very casual about having a group of snorkelers so close. Very close up, a Pink Anemone fish was spotted scooting in and out of its host anemone, right on the edge of the reef. Guests observed a green turtle eating the oat-like plant halimeda from between the corals; some even captured this glorious scene on footage with an underwater camera. Some other turtles came out to have a little play with the guests and they loved it! It’s so special to see these endangered species in their natural environment having a ball.

Later in the day guests came out for a snorkel in the lagoon and saw some very interesting invertebrates such as the diadema urchin and they even saw some happy little clownfish that appeared to be dancing around the anemones in channel one. It was a great shallow environment for beginners and they came back in raving about what they saw.

The divers got right in amongst the wildlife today sighting the always spectacular silvertip reef shark. It snaked in and out of visibility curious of the divers as they were of it. The group also saw a shovelnose shark and a few manta rays that were gliding gracefully on the surface. They came back aboard the boat with glowing smiles and a few superlatives to some up the experience.

In the evening guests relaxed in the education centre to watch the Australia’s Greatest Islands DVD, a documentary by Greg Grainger. The picture was shot close to this time of year at Lady Elliot and all of the guests could closely relate to his experience with the wildlife. They see whales, manta rays and of course our incredible red tailed tropic bird. Guests loved it and then trotted off to bed so they had plenty of energy to get out and enjoy it tomorrow!

pink anemone fish - jess