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Wednesday - the mantas are back!
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date: 1/10/2008
Author:Laura Smith
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CONDITIONS
Weather: Some cloud, mostly sunny | Air Temp: 25°C | Wind: SE/E 15/20 knots | Water Temp: 23°C | Water Visibility: ~ 20 m | Sea State: Calm
ISLAND LIFE
Critter Encounters:
The manta rays are back! Guests on today’s glass bottom/snorkel boat tour were thrilled to see the silhouette of one of these impressive animals glide by. Later in the afternoon, skipper Clinton reported a pair of mantas circling around Lighthouse Bommies.
The abundance of green turtles around the island suggests that this year’s turtle nesting season on Lady Elliot Island will be a marked improvement on last year. As one guest left the water from a snorkel, I asked them if they’d seen any turtles. “Oh – millions!” was the response I received. Three large green turtles, two of which were floating nose-to-nose, were seen from the glass bottom boat, and more still were spotted by snorkellers once in the water.
SCUBA divers today interacted up close and personal with several sea snakes. These lovely reptiles are known for their curiosity, and often approach divers closely. They sometimes even wrap themselves around dive hoses, supposedly mistaking them for other sea snakes! Guests today told of an olive sea snake moving to and fro in front of a diver’s mask, from one side to the other, seemingly checking out the reflection of itself in the divers mask …. Thinking it was another sea snake just like it, however with a very unusual body indeed. What a fantastic thing it is to share a moment with a creature that exhibits just as much curiosity for you, as you for it! Another exciting underwater spectacle today was a writhing mass of rays. It’s estimated that about 20 whiptail rays were stacked atop a single large bullray. Other creatures spotted today were chinaman fish, a white-tip reef shark, a school of big-eye trevally, large flatworms, barramundi cod, a saddleback cod, and a wobbegong.
Special Events / Activities:
Guests, including students visiting from Porirua college, joined me on an island tucker tour this morning. Under the pretense that we were marooned on a deserted coral cay, we trekked around the island learning survival techniques, identifying the edible versus the poisonous, and tasting what tucker the island had to offer.
Special Guests:
Congratulations to the Matsumotos! They are here in Australia all the way from Japan, and are visiting Lady Elliot Island for the day as part of their honeymoon.
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Manta - Laura Smith
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