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Raine Island - Nature's Cradle on the Edge of the Coral Sea
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Satellite Web Cast From Turtle Heaven and Hell
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Journal Entry - 12- 5 - 02 They ARE here!
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 Up again bright and early and went looking for the bumphead parrot fish. I have been looking for these fish since 1996 when I first saw them at Sipadan Island in Malaysia. I have not had the chance to photograph them intensively since then.
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 Now I do. A large (ish) school, 25 fish, spend their nights in a protective formation on the reef flats just a few yards from the boat. So I charged off this morning and couldn't find them. Richard Fitzpatrick's assistant, Adam, found them a few minutes later so I had to wait for him to finish shooting video before I could use my strobes to light the images as the flashes will burn out the video. I shot both film and a couple of digital shots. I have been trying to get myself into the school and shoot the school from within. But they are uncomfortable with this so I haven't pushed them shooting from the exterior of the school. The digital camera is still not quite up to speed, but it is getting there. Another day and we'll have the mechanics down, then we need to work on the exposure issues. |
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We also found one of the turtles in the water that we tagged two nights ago. The tagging team took the inflatable and headed out around the island to locate the turtles with the receiver. Once located the divers actually dropped in to the water and visually confirmed that the this was the animal. We have been unable to find the other turtle and the consensus is that the tag probably stopped working. Unfortunately, it appears that we will probably lose the tag ($$$S) as we lose much of our ability to locate the turtle if the tag is not transmitting. We do still have some time though so we'll see what the next day or two brings.
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We downloaded the data gathered from the turtle tag when it is was found on the beach last night. The tag was removed from the turtle's carapace, brought back to Floreat and down loaded to a laptop. We'll be posting a page in a day or two, with the preliminary results in an unscientific format designed for popular consumption. |
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Now the big news, one the primary reasons we are at Raine Island is to place satellite tags on tiger sharks. Until today there was a lingering doubt that there were none present (there always is until the first appears ). Well, banish all doubt. A turtle which had died on the island at the water's edge had been taken out to sea by the tide. We found it about a 1/4 mile outside the reef flat in the deep blue water and began to watch. From 11:00 until 3:00 there was no action except two large nurse sharks which turned back off the carcass after the turtle had drifted too from the reef. |
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About 3:30 the first tiger appeared, about 8 feet long, then about fifteen minutes later a second appeared on the dead turtle confirming that there are tiger sharks here. Unfortunately I did not have a top side camera with me. Suffice to say that a twelve foot tiger is a formidable looking creature both above and below the surface.
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| I also must write to correct an error in a previous journal entry. I received a very helpful email from a gentleman informing me that one of my photographs was incorrectly captioned. The vessel Kerra Lyn is not owned and operated by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority but rather owned and operated by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, (although GBRMPA provide some funding to help run it). My apologies to all of those who may have been affected. |
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| Check back for the data from the tag... Its very interesting information. |
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| Built on an Apple G4 Titanium Powerbook courtesy of Apple Computers Inc., Connected to the world by Iridium Satellite LLC and Digital eyes courtesy of Nikon - the new D100 digital camera, Captured on LexarMedia digital film. |
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| © 2002, Paul Sutherland Photography LLC. All images and text on this and every other page on this web site are protected by US and international copyright law. No unauthorized use of any kind whatsoever is permitted. |
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| Photo Captions: |
| • Bumphead parrots |
| • Batfishmascot |
| • Squid |
| • Cleanerfishsymbiosis |
| • Coralgrouper |
| • Conflict |
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