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Friday - humpback whales putting on a show
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date: 19/9/2008
Author:Laura Smith
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Overcast morning, cleared in the afternoon - Warm and humid | Air Temp: 25.6°C | Wind: N/NE 10-15 knots | Water Temp: 22°C | Water Visibility: ~ 30 m | Sea State: Calm
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
As the resort was awakening and the staff were going about the regular morning start up duties, a casual exchange between the boat “Reef Lady” and the dive shop was heard across the resort radios…
Reef Lady: “oh plenty of action today. There’s a few mantas around. And some whales breaching.”
Dive shop: “So the usual?”
- Yes this has been the norm for the last 8 weeks …… Aren’t we terribly spoilt!!
The morning SCUBA dive was a leisurely drift between Lighthouse Bommies and The Wall To Nowhere, on the south-west side of the island. Divers were excited to see a baby manta ray, estimated to be just one metre across (yes – one metre is a just a baby for these gargantuan animals. Adults can measure up to nine metres in wingspan!). Another spectacle was a school of Moorish Idols, estimated to be in their hundreds, mingling with Blue Tang to create perfect photo moments for underwater photography enthusiasts. On the glass bottom/snorkel boat tour today, the clarity of the water continued to impress. A school of big-eye trevally seemed to stretch on forever. The experience of diving down into these watchful schools as they swirl around you is simply magical.
At lunchtime, passing humpback whales were putting on a breathtaking show, breaching, spouting and fin slapping just beyond the reef rim in front of the beachfront café. It appeared that a calf was copying or learning from an adult, as every time a large whale erupted from the water, a small one inevitably followed with little delay. The excited “oohs” and “aahs” of on-looking diners ensured that there wasn’t a person in the vicinity who didn’t know about them.
Meanwhile on land, a couple of resident buff-banded rails were courting today, and just about every noddy tern in the sky seems to be paired with another, exhibiting a fascinating synchronized flight routine.
Special Events / Activities:
A perfect start to a relaxing day was this morning’s historical tour. Guests were taken back in time as they toured from the guano miners’ campsite, to the graveyard, to the lighthouses, to the island’s very first buildings.
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Watching Whales - Laura Smith
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