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Saturday - divers excited about whale songs
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date: 27/9/2008
Author:Laura Smith
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Breezy and sunny | Air Temp: 24.9°C | Wind: SE 15/20 knots | Water Temp: 24°C | Water Visibility: 20 m | Sea State: Small chop, becoming calm
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
With so much to see so close to shore, we didn’t make it far from the waters’ edge on today’s reef walk! The first critter to catch our eye was the Red eyed Crab lying in wait …. Sea cucumbers were the next thing to take everyone’s fascination. Despite having the name of a vegetable and an inanimate appearance, sea cucumbers are in fact animals. Many species are found here on Lady Elliot Island (we could see 5 different species before we’d even set foot in the water!). Some have feathery pads extending from the mouth, and to watch them feed is simply bizarre! The pads almost appear to liquefy and congeal as they move back and forth from mouth to sand, pulling food in. Just as alien in appearance are the tube feet that enable sea stars to move about, such as the New Caledonia sea star seen today. Grooves running the length of the sea stars’ arms are filled with these tiny feet, which move as if each one is itself a single animal, stretching and probing outwards - absolutely fascinating to observe!
The talking point of the afternoon SCUBA dive was the beautiful whale song. Post-dive chatter amongst guests was filled with theatrical imitations of the whales. “At first, I could only hear it faintly, but then it started to get really loud, this long, low “aawwwruuuuh” sound, and then I heard them going “blub-blub-blub-blub-blub!”, wasn’t it amazing!” a diver exclaimed to another, so excited that the whole sentence came out in just one breath. Other exciting critters reported from divers today were turtles, a sea snake, a cowtail ray, a thorny ray, and “more bannerfish than I’ve ever seen in my life!” (to quote a dive instructor). And the water has crept up yet another degree, now a still-balmier 24°C. Hooray!
Special Events / Activities:
On this morning’s island tucker tour, guests investigated ways to collect food for survival if on a deserted coral cay. Octopus Bush, Pisonia leaves, Aloe Vera and Indian almonds are just some of the potential food sources growing right here on the island. In addition, the ocean brings various forms of flotsam. One that took everyone’s interest was the box fruit. The seed of this fruit can be grated and sprinkled into water. Toxins called saponins stun fish causing them to float to the surface and be easily captured.
Special Guests:
Our Honeymoon couple departed today after 10 blissful days in paradise. Congratulations to Tanya and Paul who met on this idyllic coral cay 5 years ago.
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Red Eyed Crab - Wayne Fox
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