Another Day at the Beach
It was Samara's turn to go out on the bay today. I was lucky enough to be invited along a second time. This trip was even more exciting than yesterday's. This squid was the first creature we spotted - as we were walking along the jetty to board the boat. The teachers hosting us said that it's the first time they have seen a squid so close to the shore.
The water was like glass, which turned out to be a huge boon. I was riding at the bow, supervising children who were looking out the front. We were thrilled to see a dugong surface several times, the last time showing us its tail as it dove back down to feed on the sea grass. It was too fleeting to photograph, sadly. We were told that the dugong were very rare to see; they are a threatened species, and it's so amazing to see these huge gentle creatures so close to our beautiful city.
It was amusing to listen to the children, who were so excited by the sighting that they were shouting "I see a dugong" every time a ripple showed on the water.
This is the jetty at Wellington Point, taken from the boat.
Samara enjoyed the sea breezes.
The perfect classroom!
We licked mangrove leaves (I know! Not something I'd planned on doing today!) and discovered that the mangroves secrete salt they extract from the sea water through the underside of their leaves. We squelched through mud, picked up mud whelks, squeezed sponges and left the beach cleaner than we found it by collecting litter as we left. The kids were so proud of their contribution to the preservation of the habitat.
3 comments:
Looks like fun!
water like glass - now that's my kind of boat ride. And you licked the mangrove leaves - hee! hee! hee! - I can't believe you did that! Maybe I'll have to try. :-)
A perfect day out! Lucky children, & lucky Mum. Whenever I went on excursions with my children, we had seasick children or, after one visit to an Icecream factory, slightly green children.. too much free sample!!
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