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Jacky
Lisarow
Australia
22/2/2010
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Nature Lovers Haven
What a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the natural environment at it's best. My 5 day stay was one natural wonder after another. It started with an evening walk around the island after arriving late in the afternoon. The bird life was prolific including noddys, terns, brown boobies and frigate birds. An epaulette shark was feeding in the shallows just centimetres from the beach. I stopped to photograph and watch it - beautiful! The sunset was also pretty good, although clouds were moving in. The next day I dived the north western side of the island. Shovel-nose rays, reef shark, leopard shark, barracuda, turtles and a plethora of fish as well as octopus, morays, nudibranchs and a colourful flatworm had me enraptured but it was the manta rays that really made my day, I commented to my husband that if I saw nothing else my trip was a complete success because of this encounter. That night we were hit with the winds and rain generated by ex tropical cyclone Olga - not quite what I was expecting - what else was mother nature going to show us. We spent 2 days playing cards, chatting with the staff, exploring the island in between the rain and generally relaxing. A little frustrating when all I wanted to do was dive but the sea was huge beyond the reef. So instead I joined in on some of the planned activities - fish feeding, releasing turtle hatchlings, playing games, as well as bird watching and frog hunting. On our 4th day we were able to fit in another 2 dives and again saw turtles, sharks and numerous fish despite the visibility being down. But what really made the last couple of days special was the hours I spent walking and watching the life in the lagoon. Hunting eels, mating sea hares, an octopus trying very hard to be a rock whilst I took his picture, nudibranchs and of course a variety of fish. I spent a half hour or so in one spot watching an eel under a coral head, sea hares sliding past, crabs feeding on algae, shrimp and other worm type inhabitants all occupying a space of half a square metre - amazing! LEI is truly a nature lovers paradise. The staff are friendly, helpful and informative and no matter the weather work to make your experience something special. I can't wait to visit again!
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