December 10, 2007
The life aquatic
The coral reefs surrounding Surprise are full of life, but without a snorkel, a large number of interesting species can be seen directly from the beach. Black-tipped Reef Sharks come amazingly close to the shoreline at low tide.
One of the downsides of not staying the night on the island was that we didn't see any Green Turtles come ashore, though tracks in the sand suggested that 1 or 2 visited each night. However, several were seen swimming across the turquoise lagoon.
We saw many flying fish from the boat - these fish are able to 'fly' a surprisingly long distance - a good 30m. This one was found lying on the beach, though I have no idea whether it washed up or was regurgitated by a bird.
Moray Eels used stealth tactics to attack unsuspecting small fish and crabs in the shallow lagoons adjacent to the beach.
The waters around the harbour in Koumac were full of colourful reef fish...
... and we all had excellent views of the 'tricot rayé' (Yellow-lipped Sea-Krait).
