| We move
around to the front and get a better look at the whole turtle. Her
head is nearly the same size as mine and her 96.3 cm long shell is covered
with barnacles and scratches. She eventually finishes laying her eggs and
the Rangers count them – she has laid 101 eggs, which is short of the
200 that some turtles deposit into the sand.
As it happens,
that night we’re in for a special treat.
The loggerhead
has chosen an unsafe spot for her nest – too close to the beach in
case of a cyclone, and we’re asked to help relocate the eggs to a safer,
manmade nest farther away from the shore. We’re each passed two of the
rubbery eggs to carry from one nest to the other – I feel as if I’m part
of something so exclusive that my heart races until I place the eggs safely
in the new nest. We reluctantly leave the beach and make our way back
to the station.
But our adventure
is not over – we’re given the option of waiting around to see if any
hatchlings can be located. We visited in February – the perfect time
because
the turtles are still laying eggs while the first nests are starting to
produce hatchlings.
We wait only
twenty minutes before the radio crackles with good news, and our group,
now considerably smaller, makes our way back down the beach. We
climb up the sand to the grass line where a group of Rangers stand. One
of them is kneeling on the beach with her hands over a mound of sand. As
soon as she moves them away, turtle hatchlings start popping out of
the sand. It’s unbelievable; a tiny head and flailing flippers appear,
and milliseconds later the whole turtle is scrambling towards the ocean.
The only
lights allowed here are the Rangers’ and they must be coming from the direction
of the shore. The hatchlings instinct tells them to head toward the
lightest point – which is always the horizon, and in this case, the beach
– and lights in any other direction will confuse them.
When the hatchlings
emerge from the nest, they go into what is known as a swim frenzy; their
flippers flapping frantically as they attempt to make it safely to the
ocean. Even as the Ranger holds one in his hands, its flippers don’t stop
“swimming”
for a second.
After the hatchlings
have stopped popping out and we’ve watched the last one get swept away
in the dark, foamy water, we return to the nest. The scientists begin their
study – the nest is dug up and everything is recorded. They record the
number of egg shells left by successful hatchlings, dead hatchlings,
full eggs that didn’t develop, along with eggs that had started developing
but didn’t quite make it. The data will be compared to information noted
when the nest was first laid so that the ratio of successful hatchlings
from eggs can be determined.
Only 1 out
of 1000 hatchlings will actually survive and I feel a twinge of sadness
knowing that the hatchlings I’ve seen tonight will likely not make it
to the depths of the ocean. But what I’ve seen is a miracle and I feel
blessed to have been able to see both a nesting turtle and emerging hatchlings.
Sunshine
Coast
The most
popular and commercialized town on Australia’s Sunshine Coast is most
definitely Noosa. A popular spot for surfing, the endless beaches leave
no question as to why so many people holiday here. But just bit farther
down the coast lies Mooloolaba, and besides having a really great name,
it’s not as crowded and has less of a resort feel. Admittedly, there’s
not much to do here besides lounge on the beach and try your hand at surfing
or boogie boarding.
The one big
attraction in Mooloolaba is Underwater World. Considered one of Australia’s
best aquariums, Underwater World is home to some amazing sea creatures.
Nemo lives here, along with seahorses, blue spotted lagoon rays and eerie
jellyfish. One of the huge tanks holds a sawtooth fish – which literally
looks like it has a saw sewed onto its beak. It’s hard to believe a fish
like that really exists. Other things you might not have seen before are
a developing shark embryo, elephant nose fish and Mexican water monsters.
The bottom
level is a whole tank filled with sharks, huge rays and tropical fish.
A moving walkway leads you through the circular tank. It’s almost like
being underwater with all the marine creatures; rays glide above you, a
shark darts past you on the left while an eel hides beneath a rock to your
right. We went around several times – there’s that much to see.
But we went
to Underwater World not only to see the marine life, but also to interact
with it. Underwater World is famous for its seals and the shows they put
on three times daily. The show involves Sea Lions, Australian Fur Seals
and New Zealand Fur Seals and they are all amazing creatures. What’s
even more unique about the show is that the trainer explains how the seals
are trained to stand up, balance a ball on their nose and swim to certain
areas of the pool. For some tricks, it’s as simple as where the trainer
places his hand in relation to the rest of his body. The seal knows that
when the trainer’s left hand is raised, he’s meant to be on the left side
of the stage.
After the
show is over, you have the opportunity to get intimate with the seals –
you
can have your photo taken while a seal plants a wet, slippery kiss
on your check. It is a bit intimidating, I have to admit. The seals are
huge – easily the size of a grown man – and when its big, rubbery mouth
comes at you, it’s hard not to move away. So what does it feel like to
be kissed by a seal? It’s a soft, rubbery kiss, with a bit of whisker on
the side. And if you want to pursue your seal relationship even further,
you can join the behind the scenes tour and even take a dip in the seals’
pool.
After the kissing
is complete, one of the seal keepers leads us into the seals’ home. We’re
shown the myriad of charts that keep track of which seal has been fed,
vaccinated and given a day off, as well as charts monitoring their growth
and condition. Finally, we’re given a mask and we hop in the pool with
the seals. We’re warned not to get too close as they can bite. But they
don’t seem to pay us any attention. They zip around in the seawater, which
is pumped in daily, right underneath us. One swims past me and I could
have easily reached out to touch it. It’s a lot different than watching
them through the glass like you would at a normal aquarium; I really feel
like I’m a part of their world as I paddle along with the best view in
the house. The seal experience, including entry to Underwater World, the
behind the scenes tour, the kiss (with photo) and a seal swim costs $100.
Tangalooma
Wild Dolphin Resort
Moreton
Island, a sand island similar to Fraser, lies off the coast of Brisbane.
Halfway down the western side of the island there is an old whaling station,
which has been converted into Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort. Famous
for the wild dolphins that visit every night for feeding, Tangalooma is
the ideal place to stay on the island. The resort includes 96 hotel rooms,
134 self contained resort units including kitchenettes, and 56 townhouse
style villas. All rooms have a balcony and are within 50 meters of the
beachfront.
When we arrive
at the resort, the number of activities there are to choose from overwhelms
us. We opt to start with the Desert Safari Tour. We bump along sandy roads
in a huge 4WD bus until we arrive at an open expanse of sand dunes. Climbing
down, we notice the various colors of the sand. Our guide explains that
there are 33 different colors of sands on the island, ranging from black
to white to red. He instructs us to pick up a few of the “pebbles” that
we see scattered around the dunes. We shake them in our hands and are surprised
to find that it sounds exactly like glass. The pebbles are actually sand
turned to glass by one of the area’s many lightning strikes.
Our next adventure,
sand tobogganing, requires a little more effort. It’s not for the faint
hearted. After climbing up the 55-meter sand dune, we slide down on our
toboggans, reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometers an hour, and it’s as
exhilarating as it sounds.
That evening,
we prepare for the main reason we’re here – to hand feed dolphins. We
wash off all our sunscreen and put on clothes that we don’t mind getting
wet. As darkness falls, the dolphins start arriving. At first there
are only two or three, but soon enough there are eight dolphins swimming
in the water, waiting to be fed.
A marine biologist
goes over a few things before we’re let anywhere near the dolphins. There
is absolutely no touching allowed; the dolphins are wild animals and the
resort doesn’t want them to be domesticated. They feed the dolphins only
one tenth of their daily intake so that they still need to hunt for food
and don’t become dependent on the resort. We’re told to wash our hands
in a bucket of disinfectant and grab a fish from another. I stand in line,
smelly fish in hand, and wait to be called into the water.
Eight gray
dolphins swim in front of me, no more than a meter away. I grasp the fish
in my hand, holding my thumb in, and plunge it into the water. Tinkerbell,
the dolphin closest to me, swims up and gently takes the fish from my hand
with her mouth. Her two five-month-old babies swim behind her, keeping
their distance. The guide gives me another fish from her pouch and
I hold my hand down again, offering the food to Tinkerbell. She takes it
and swims away. It’s a wonderful feeling to be so close to these beautiful
creatures, and to interact with them in such an intimate way.
Although
feeding dolphins is definitely Tangalooma’s highlight, there are many
other activities on the island. Quad biking, Marine Eco Tours, Parasailing
and Helicopter Flights are just some of the other activities that Tangalooma
has to offer. I’d recommend exploring the Tangalooma Wrecks. A series
of sunken barges and dredges, the wrecks attract all sorts of marine life.
Tropical fish abound and watch out – you’re sure to see a shark! A wobbegong
shark, that is. These flat, spotted sharks can be found sleeping among
the wrecks. You have to keep your eyes open though – they blend in with
the sandy bottom quite well.
The following
is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
To contact Dawnelle
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