March was a month of true tropical weather, some huge rainfalls and fresh to frightening winds made for pure tropical experiences. The largest daily rainfall in living memory has resulted in the water temperature on the reef remaining cooler (than is usual for this time of year) at a comfortable 27 degrees. This cooler water is actually great news for the reef, it means that we are unlikely to see the effects of any bleaching due to water being too warm for the coral. In addition CSIRO estimates that the combined effect of a lot of rain in December and March, may actually extend the lifespan of our wonderful reef environment.
Reef visitors have been plentiful this month, with fantastic sightings of huge pods of spinner dolphins at our sights, including North point, where they hung around to play with the Glass Bottom Boat for nearly 1½ hours, they could even be heard squeaking and squealing by the snorkelers and divers much to their enjoyment.
Some of the regulars are providing plenty of entertainment for snorkelers and divers alike, including “Daisy” the Malabar cod at Whaler. She missed our visits whilst the weather was up and was more than a bit frisky when she saw us return, you can check out the on line pictures if you want to see her making some new friends (she really gave our on board photographer a good work out when she saw him hop back in).
Juveniles are still plentiful, and this month we have seen a multitude of different species including many varieties of flatworms, (often free swimming) aswell as the always popular but hard to spot “Many Spotted Sweetlips”. That is one juvenile that has the ability to make almost anyone smile, with its oversized spots, swinging its tail like a clownfish after 12 cups of coffee!!
