It was super windy today so we were sure to be careful for falling coconuts!
I sat in a hammock and read my book before going for a little kayak. The water is crystal clear and it's so shallow you can see the coral and fish.
We went to a Mantaray talk by the marine biologist that lives on the island. We learnt that Mantarays are a kind of fish and they are the smartest fish species due to their brain size and behaviour. Coral mantarays are identifiable by the patterns on their bellies and are on average 4 meters in length. Their mouths have been evolved to the front of their bodies so that they can hunt in open water and near the surface. They have filters inside their mouth to shift through the plankton. They can swim the furthest depth of any fish which is 1.5kms down. The females are stronger and faster then the males. They only reproduce every 2 years and have a uterus and give birth to only 1 offspring. The flipping we saw in the water is to help them stay in the one spot to feed and is also a social behaviour. The rays we saw were 'residential' because they have been seen over the years. They are happy to be around humans. It is quite rare to see new individuals and they would swim through very fast. There is no telling how many will come through the channel and when. Their only predators are killer whales and tiger sharks.
It's so peaceful lying on the beach listening to the palm trees in the wind sounds like rain and watching a white crab run across the sand when it thinks I'm not looking.
At dinner we met a Scottish girl who had just lived in a really poor village for 2months and she had some really amazing stories. We also met a Canadian who lived in Toyko and 2 other Canadain guys and french guys. It was amazing that all the different nationalities came together to chat.
I have come to peace with the alien looking geckos as there is simply no avoiding them. Im telling myself that they are cute and they are my friends.
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