Spinner Dolphins - Species of the Reef

Another favourite of all our guests and crew, the spinner dolphin. These playful and friendly creatures love to swim along the bow wave of the boat as we sail both to and from the reef. The most common sight is a group of half a dozen or so, however occasionally the come to join us in the dozens.
They grow to just over 2 metres long (7') and weigh up to about 75 kg (175lbs). It is one of the most athletic of the dolphins jumping out of and skimming across the water.

Humpback Whale - Species of the Reef

An annual favourite with crew and guests alike, the annual whale migration (June-November), as whales swim north to escape the cold of winter. Whales were the earliest tourists to Cairns and for centuries have known what humans are now just discovering.
The humpback whale's common name is derived from the humping motion they make when diving below the surface (as seen in the above photo). They have a social networking where they hang out together for a few hours and then move on. They eat a variety of fish and they hunt fish by direct attack or by stunning them by hitting the water with its pectoral fins or flukes.
The humpback whale population has continued to grow at an average of 11% and is steadily returning to pre-hunting days, although these threats still exist even today. Their playful antics and curiosity amuse everyone and have to been seen in real life to get the true appreciation of this species.

The Green Turtle - Species of the Reef

The green turtle is a common sight around the reefs of Cairns, lazily eating and swimming around the dive sites they make a peaceful presence to the fantastic underwater landscape.

Quick Facts
Breeding Season - Late October to February
Years between breeding - Two to Eight Years
Nesting female carapace length - 107 cm (42 inches) (range from 91-124 cm)
Nesting weight - 130 kg (286lbs) (range from 98-184 kg)
Clutch size - 115 eggs (range from 62-153 eggs)
Hatchling emergence season - December to May
Hatching success - 84%
Hatchling size - 4.97cm (2 inches) (range from 4.02-5.19 cm)
Hatchling weight - 24.83g (0.87 oz) (range from 19.8-28.4 g)
Predators of hatchlings - Crabs, herons, dingoes and fish such as trevally and sharks

Conservation Status - Internationally Endangered — World Conservation Union
Description - Adult green turtles have a smooth, high-domed carapace, are olive green in colour, with occasional brown, reddish-brown or black highlights. Hatchlings have a black carapace with white margins around the carapace, flippers and on the plastron. Green turtles have one pair of prefrontal scales between their eyes.
Threats to Survival - Threats to survival include incidental capture in fishing and shark control program gear, ingestion of synthetic materials, boat strike, predation of eggs or hatchlings at rookeries, incidental capture in dredges, Indigenous harvest of adults and eggs within Australia and overseas and increased incidence of disease (high incidence of fibropapillomas).
Distribution and Habitat - Green turtles are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters around the world and appear to be the most abundant of the six species of marine turtle found in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. They are found in subtidal and intertidal coral and rocky reefs and seagrass meadows of the continental shelf. Green turtles are principally herbivorous as adults, eating mostly algae, seagrass, mangrove fruit and jellyfish.
The proportion of a green turtle population that nests each year is highly variable (up to an order of magnitude difference) and is influenced by variations in the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Index. Green turtles are the species of marine turtle for which this correlation has been shown and it may be based upon nutrition.
For green turtles nesting and foraging in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, tag returns indicate migration to Indonesia, Gulf of Carpentaria, Arnhem Land, Torres Strait, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Breeding Areas
There is low density nesting on many islands and along the Queensland coastline. Although genetically distinct nesting aggregations are known, the stocks often occur in the same foraging habitat.

The Maori Wrasse - Species of the Reef

The Humphead, Maori or Napoleon wrasse, is widely distributed across the reefs of the Indo-Pacific and a favourite of our guests. A big fish with a bigger personality, the Maori Wrasse as it is more commonly know here is Australia is an endangered species and is now protected. It has two complimentary traits that do not combine well for survival, it is a very friendly and personable fish and it is a good tasting fish. This species is a very important part of the ecology of the reef as it is one of the few fish that eats sea hares, boxfish or the crown of thorns starfish.
With the current protection offered on the Great Barrier Reef we are starting to see the numbers of this fish increase. They are regulars at our dive sites at almost every reef now.
This first photo is taken at Thetford Reef by myself and the second was taken by one of our honeymooning guests Olga at the Pinnacles at Milln Reef.