Birthday Island
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Fri 28 Jun 2019 23:47
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Birthday
Island
  After a lovely morning and fry-up we
set off for Birthday Island (aka Ile Mapou but as it is my naming
day......renamed). Such a dull day we had the lights on but we both felt it was
worth going out for a breather and short bimble, if the rain held off. Rain clearly visible to the right of Boddam Island and
Passage Island.
 Ile de Pass on the
left and our destination to the right, the depth gets shallow to about
four feet a long way from the island.
  Once in shallow water we watched for
the odd bommie, the colour
gorgeous.
 Birthday
Island.
 We headed to the left as we saw a long
sand spit.
 I jumped out when the depth dropped to
a foot and towed Baby Beez for a hundred feet or so. Nearby a stingray made to run.
 Off he went
as a baby lemon shark skittered away too.
 I headed off along the sand spit as Bear beached Baby Beez.
 Ten to three in the afternoon and it
really was that dark. Just as quickly things
brightened, speedy clouds or what.
  A meeting of baby
hermit crabs and Bear points at a splendid
burrow.
 Behind us young
red-footed boobies (Sula sula), the
smell of guano quite ripe.
 A brown
booby (Sula leucogaster) in the middle.
    We both have a soft spot for boobies. Remember the eighteen
hours we had with the boys and you wouldn’t let me tack en route to the
Galapagos. Yes, but they were so grateful for the
rest.......not to mention all the
poop.
     Crabs
everywhere we looked, I was having a great time. Then.......
 ...... a young
moray eel shot over the shore reef chasing a crab at lightning speed, but
the crab was faster moving in a blur of action.
 Failing, the eel slithered down a gap
to lurk in the shallow water and wait for the next opportunity. The crab stood stock still in relief. We then saw a second
eel. What an experience to have watched the hunt.
 Word went around and everyone was now
on high alert.
 Back on the sand
spit the sky looked quite nice.
 Quite a
gang settled on the dead tree in the shallows.
  We set off under a
changeable sky and on a whim decided on a quick stop on Yakamaka
Island.
 Lots of noddies on
the wing to look at along the way.
ALL IN ALL THE EEL WAS A REAL
BLUE PLANET MOMENT
A SPECIALLY ORCHESTRATED BIRTHDAY TREAT
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