Lady Elliot, Australia- Part 2

April 14, 2013 tiffany
4 Comments
Australia

Last week we started our journey together around Lady Elliot Island. It took us three days till we finally stayed out of the water long enough to walk a complete loop around the island. Let’s carry on and see what else we shall find around the island. 

 

Here’s Chris scoping things out.

 

 

This sea scope gives one a clear look into the water. You can walk into the water at low tide when it is up to your knees and place this down into the water to view sea life…

 

 

…like this clam which can range widely in their beautiful colour variation. Also, fyi, contrary to horror movies, you cannot get your hand stuck in a clam shell. You can see in this photo, they do not close their mouths completely.


28 second video.
As we jump in the water in the shallows this back and forth movement can almost give you motion sickness watching this video as we bobbed along in the waves with the tide pushing in and out from shore. 
 
 
One of the most remarkable things to me was the ability to observe wildlife so closely. Animals have been coming to this area for so many years knowing that it is a sanctuary. Turtles are often extremely shy animals and swim away from you so quickly. 
 
58 second video. 
There is something so captivating about watching turtles swim. 
 
This is one of my all time favourite turtle photos. The aqua blue water with the green algae illuminated on the back of her shell as the sun glistens through the water. Turtles are such special animals. 
 
 
Cruising on by. 
 
 
Turtles can blend in so well to the bottom floor.
 
30 second video.
This turtle is chomping away on coral. If you have never touched coral, (which please follow low impact practices and don’t ever touch living coral), but dead coral that has washed up on the beach, it is extremely tough. Almost impossible to break a little piece off with your bear hands. Turtle beaks are very strong. 
 
 
Here’s different visibility and conditions, very easy to miss this gal from far away. 
 
 
This is another one of my favourite turtle pics. She was dipping down to go look for some good coral. 
 
 
Thorny ray.
 
 
Resting under the camoflaoudge of sand. 
 
20 second video.
This is small school or shoal of squid swimming by.
 
 
Old light house. 
 
 
New light house. 
 
 
Old next to the new. I have contradictory feelings about our modernization at times. The new lighthouse requires much less resources to be built, yet I can’t help but look at the classic lighthouse and feel a sense of longing and nostalgia. Is it me not wanting to accept progress or is progress erasing the past?


The cemetery. Many islands have small cemeteries with ghost stories surrounding events of the past blending and interpreting fact or fiction, legend or reality. We will never know if Susanah was pushed or fell down the light house stairs.



Playing in the shadows.

 

We love shadow shots. 
 
 

Can you find the shark in this photo?


What about now?


Ok, you’ve got to be able to spot this wobbegong shark.


The word ‘wobbegong’ is believed to come from Aboriginal language meaning ‘shaggy beard’ as seen here around the sharks mouth.


After we watched this shark for a while we started swimming and turned around to have one last look just a few feet away from him. He was so well camouflaged neither me nor Chris could find him again and we were only a few feet away. So we had to swim back and answer our curiosity as to whether he had already swam away. He never moved, he was just that hard to find when not moving.

25 second video.
I only put twenty five seconds of this video up because nothing changes. The shark lays there trying to be as unnoticeable as possible and we just watch him. Before spending much time in the water, I had the knee jerk reaction of many land based people, “A shark, get out of the water as fast as you can.” The more time I’ve spent snorkelling and diving it really is the opposite. We were so lucky to get such amazing viewings of these wobbegons. They are very shy and try to not be noticed, a static reminder of how stereotypes can cause false assumptions and missed opportunities. 



Walking around the lodging area on pathways made of washed up shells.

 

This was one of the eating areas. A buffet dinner and breakfast are included if you stay overnight and the food was amazing. 
 
 

Another day we were out snorkelling till dusk.


Lady Elliot Island was one of the best things we’ve ever done and it was also one of the most expensive. When making this decision it came down to going to LEI for a week or the country of New Caledonia for four weeks. Long term and budget travel does not mean passing up on an amazing experience because of not wanting to pay for it. Certain activities, hobbies, adventures require one to plop some money down to have the experience. Long term travelling is about identifying the activities that are most important to you, the events that if you go home and have not done them, you will regret it. We could enjoy the luxury of Lady Elliot Island because we sacrificed and went weeks taking cold showers in the van. We made dinners rain or shine in the back of the van 99% of the time. The ability to be able to afford to travel, or to afford whatever hobbies you wish to pursue, is attainable to all of us, it’s simply a matter of choice and sacrifice. For us, the experience we had on Lady Elliot Island was worth every cold shower we ever choose to take. 

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4 Responses to “Lady Elliot, Australia- Part 2”

  • Jim
    12 years ago

    NICE two part post!!! The turtle videos are as much fun as the manta rays in part one and that wobbegong is one COOL lookin’ shark!

  • Tiffany Soukup
    12 years ago

    We called ourselves the wobbegon magnets because so many people were trying to find them and we saw one almost every single day.

  • Laura Shephard
    12 years ago

    nice pics. I searched forever to find that stinkin shark! I think it beats the chameleon for blending into its environment!

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