Great Barrier Reef - Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot Island is quite remote, and the only way to access it is by taking a small high-wing plane that lands on a grass airstrip a mere 1954ft (596m) long. As the only coral cay island in the Barrier Reef with an airstrip, only experienced pilots can fly there.
 

The island appeared about 3,500 years ago, and with the help of seabirds' droppings, it established vegetation on it. Sadly, in the late 1800s, guano (bird poo) mining was permitted on the island. Rich in nutrients, guano was a valuable fertilizer. It was also used as a gunpowder ingredient. The mining completely stripped the island of its vegetation, and it remained barren until the 1960s when aviator, Don Adams, began a successful revegetation program.

Within two decades, the island was restored; today, it is home to the manta ray. These graceful, gentle giants are the largest rays in the world. Utterly harmless to humans, there's no better place to observe them than either snorkelling or diving off Lady Elliot Island.

Heading out to the historic lighthouse on the island's southwest corner, I donned my snorkelling gear and immersed myself underwater straight off the beach. It didn't take long to find a squadron of manta rays floating around a coral garden. Although they typically live alone, manta rays do congregate around the mating season or for feeding. As filter feeders, they swim around with their mouths open, eating vast quantities of zooplankton. Each manta ray has a distinctive mark on its belly, much like a human fingerprint, allowing them to be distinguished from one another.

Manta rays love a good clean, so they regularly visit coral reef cleaning stations where remoras, tiny cleaner fish, remove parasites and flaky skin. A remora is fascinating anatomically as its front dorsal fin is flat. This allows the fish to suction itself to the smooth surface of a host animal like rays, whales, turtles, or sharks. It seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship as the remora provides cleaning services while the host protects them from other predators.

Come snorkelling with me and see how many manta rays you can find and what other interesting creatures inhabit this area. Can you see the two sea cucumbers curled next to each other on the ocean floor or the busy school of bigeye trevally flitting around one another? Have fun exploring, and I will see you on Heron Island.



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