Marine Life A few of the locals

Humpback Whale

FACTS: The Common Dolphin is the name given to up to three species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus. Despite its name the common dolphin is not the dolphin of popular imagination; that distinction belongs to the Bottlenose Dolphin, largely due to its widespread use in marine parks, as well as its appearance in the television series Flipper.

Occasionally these dolphins would swim playfully off the bow of our boat. They are so graceful to watch.
See video movie.

Green Humphead Parrotfish

FACTS: The green humphead parrotfish, is a species of parrotfish, the only member of the genus Bolbometopon. It is the largest and wariest of the parrotfishes growing to 1.3 m (4 ft) in length and 46 kg (100 lb) in weight. It is found on reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea in the west to Samoa in the east, and from the Yaeyama Islands in the north to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia in the south.

Noah and I were snorkelling off Pearl Bay when we found ourselves surrounded by large shadows. We counted a pod 25 of these amazing fish. We later found out it was rare for them to be so close to shore. We felt very fortunate. SL

Common Dolphin

FACTS: The humpback whale is a Baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time.

During July-September there are many Humpbacks pass the Whitsundays. Everytime someone shouted 'whale' there would be an exciting rush to the deck. We felt over-awed to see so many of these wonderful gentle giants. SL

FACTS: The Bottlenose Dolphin is one of the most common and well-known dolphins. They inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide. Bottlenose Dolphins are grey in color and can be between 2 and 4 metres long, and weigh between 150 and 650 kilograms. Bottlenose Dolphins live in groups called pods that typically number about 15 dolphins

After crossing the Wide Bay bar we were visited by several very large Bottlenose Dolphins. They swam back and forward under our boat. One leapt right out of the water.
Just like at Seaworld.... but with no training! SL

Bottlenose Dolphin

Green Turtle

FACTS: Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their common name derives from the green fat underneath their shell

There are so many of these turtles around the islands. We snorkeled next to them and on a few occasions I managed to touch their shell. We would often see there heads popping up close to our dinghy. SL

Common Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Humphead Wrasse

FACTS: The humphead wrasse is the largest living member of the family Labridae, with males reaching 6 feet (2 m) in length. It has thick, fleshy lips and a hump that forms on its head above the eyes, becoming more prominent as the fish ages. Males range from a bright electric blue to green, a purplish blue, or a relatively dull blue/green. Juveniles and females are red-orange above, and red-orange to white below. Some males grow very large, with one unconfirmed report of a Humphead Wrasse that was 7.75 feet (2.29 m) long and weighed 420 lbs (190.5 kg).

The friendliest big fish on the reef. They seemed happy to swim right next to us. We were able to touch and swim around them. We found them at Bait reef and Manta Ray Bay off Hook Island. SL

Clownfish

FACTS: Clownfish and anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. In the wild they all form symbiotic relationships with sea anemones. Clownfish are overall yellow, orange, reddish or blackish, and many show white bars or patches. The largest species reach a length of 18 cm (7 in), while the smallest barely reach 10 cm (4 in). Clownfish are native to wide ranges of the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea.

Nemo. The cutest movie star on the coast. We met him at the Barrier Reef SL