Surfing With Sharks in Australia
August 6, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Yup, I did that…It all seems a little surreal today as I think back, but I did it.
In fact, if you’re surfing anywhere, you’re likely to be surfing with these heavily teethed fish…
I felt very secure where we were – inside a coral reef by Lancelin Island in Western Australia.
The friends I was with surfing had been coming to this very beach year in and year out from their youth.
I was learning how to boogie-board (sometimes called body boarding) and progressing up to a surfboard.
We never saw anything suspicious – in fact, we never even saw dolphins there.
We surfed at Christmas for about 2 weeks straight every day in between sun tanning and eating seafood, of course…
The last day, right before we left we decided to get one more surf in. I was excited because I’d learned the fundamentals well and was pretty confident, after being banged around a bit on the reef for a good 2 weeks.
Everyone was taking their last ride in on the wave of their choice and for whatever reason, I ended up being the last person out there with people getting out of the water and standing on the beach watching.
Waiting for the perfect final wave to catch, I saw my friends waving at me from the shore, so I waved back, thinking we were all just having a lot of fun.
I caught that next wave and had a great ride in – satisfied with my first surfing experiences during our vacation.
We packed up and were driving North – back home to Perth.
My friends said, “Canuck…” (they called me Canuck because I’m Canadian), “…Remember when we were all waving at you on the beach when you were about to catch your last wave in?”…
I said, “Yes…Why?”
They continued to tell me that they were waving because there was a big shark coming Read more
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Whale Sharks in Australia
August 4, 2009 by Kimberly · 2 Comments
What do I know about sharks?
Well, I know a little bit about sharks. I’ve swam with them, I’ve seen them, and I’ve surfed with them.
Yeah, I know them a little bit!
I traveled around Australia back in 1995 for a few months backpacking my way through the center of Aussie, hitting the Northern Territory and going West back down the coast all the way back to Perth, Western Australia.
On my journey, I stopped in Exmouth, Western Australia where I had the amazing opportunity to swim with whale sharks out past the reef.
A helicopter would relay the coordinates of the whale sharks they spotted to our diving boat and we’d get there as quickly as possible to be dropped off right in front of their path.
They typically swim slow enough for you to be able to keep up with them for a while, then they’ll Read more
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My First Shark Sighting – Whitetip Reef Sharks
August 3, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Well, the day before we went whale shark swimming in Exmouth, Australia, I took a tour where we snorkeled off of the coast of Exmouth’s pure, white sand beaches.
I was a little nervous about the sharks and asked the “local girl” that came with us if it was pretty safe. She said that the only sharks you’d see would be white-tipped reef sharks and they don’t bug you unless you provoke them, but that we probably wouldn’t even see any of them where we were.
So, I got up the courage to get out there, since I had to be ready for whale shark swimming in the open ocean the next morning, and waded out into the water. I put my face under the water with my mask on, and what’s the first thing I see? A whitetip reef shark!
Wow – I think I grew a Read more
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A Box Jellyfish for a Pet?
April 15, 2009 by Kimberly · 7 Comments
My hubby and I watched the movie Seven Pounds with Will Smith a few nights ago, which was fabulous, I might add!
In the movie, the main character has a box jellyfish as an exotic pet in a large cylindrical tank!
What an amazing creature, which just happens to have the most deadly venom in the animal kingdom!
In fact, there have been 5,568 human fatalities due to the box jellyfish recorded since 1954.
Extreme care and caution needs to be taken when caring for a pet of this danger level.
Also, you cannot store the jellyfish with any other creature in the tank, as they’ll paralyze it and eat it.
Although so high venomous, the sea turtle is immune to the sting of the jellyfish and is one of their food sources.
However, it is a fantastical Read more
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Swooping Magpies in Australia
April 9, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
I’ve never been so scared of a bird before…
In fact, I’ve never been scared of a bird before this!
When I lived in Western Australia, I was there to play softball. So, I jogged in the mornings each day.
The very first morning I went out through our neighborhood alone, I was shocked to see the amazing wildlife, parrots everywhere covering trees, a kangaroo or two, some kookaburras, some lizards and lots of flies! LOL…
…But there were these large birds called magpies, or “maggies” as their nicknamed there.
They are large like a big seagulls with pointy beaks, but are black and white all over…Or, they look like big crows with a bit of white on them…
They are much larger than their cousins around the world. The Western Magpie is the bird I was dealing with on a daily basis.
Why are they scary?
Well, it’s like they stalk you…They follow you where you walk, jog, run.
Then, if it’s nesting season, they’ll fly above you and swoop down on you, especially if you have long hair…
Why?
They want your hair for their nest. Either that, or they’re protecting their nests and you look like a predator!
I’ve even seen them chase other birds, animals, even hawks during this time.
I have long, long hair, so a ponytail just wasn’t going to do it. I either had to put my hair in a tight bun or wear a hat with my hair tucked into it when I jogged.
Anyway, they’re not little birds to say the least! They’ve even been known to kill Read more
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Cassowary of the Great Barrier Reef
February 20, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
A Cassowary is a flightless Australian bird, and is native to the tropical forests of New Guinea.
It’s funny because Australia has another flightless bird, the emu, making it and the cassowary the 2nd and 3rd largest flightless birds in the world, behind Africa’s ostrich.
Females are larger than males and are more vividly colored, and may reach up to 2 meters tall! That’s a big bird!
Known to be a timid bird, it can inflict serious injury to human adults, and fatal injury to dogs and children. They have 3 toes and extremely sharp talons/claws.
Check out this great, but short, video showing a wild Cassowary on an island of the Great Barrier Reef:
They are omnivorous, but mostly eat fruits, shoots, grass seeds, as well as fungi. However, it will also make a quick meal of invertebrates and small vertebrates alike.
2 of the species produce a very low Read more
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Potato Cod on the Great Barrier Reef
February 19, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
As you saw in the last post’s video, there were some really amazing cod fish shown.
So, I figured I would show you a little bit more about them.
As you could guess, they are regular inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef.
They can actually reach a length of 2 meters – that’s about as big as a reef shark, but it’s so much heavier and more bulky too!
Wasn’t that awesome? I would love to do this one day…They are real gentle Read more
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Whitetip Reef Sharks on the Great Barrier Reef
February 18, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
The very first shark I ever saw in the ocean was a Whitetip Reef Shark!
Not only that, it was the very first time I had ever snorkeled either…I went under the water for the first dip and there was a shark! It was probably about 5 feet long!
Sure…It brought me right back up to the surface and ready to head back to shore, but our guide told me they’re harmless, unless you really mess around with them and bother them, which I was not even about to attempt.
This wasn’t on the Great Barrier Reef, but on the Ningaloo Reef on the other side of Australia.
I’m sure you’ve heard of shark feedings and tours that take you out to experience this. Well, I’ve found a video showing you a shark feed on the Great Barrier Reef.
You’ll know the whitetip reef sharks because they have a white tip on their tail and caudal fin:
Wasn’t that beautiful and amazing! Did you check out the huge Cod? Wow!
I’d love to see this in person…The animals are just fantastic!
These reef sharks feed on Read more
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Hawksbill Turtles are Regulars on the Great Barrier Reef
February 17, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Hawksbill Turtles are regulars on the Great Barrier Reef, as they prefer shallow water or lagoons.
The Hawksbill is a Critically Endangered Animal!
They are easily distinguishable by their sharply curved beak, which resembles like a hawk’s bill.
They glide through the water with effortless ease. Check out this great video of a Hawksbill Turtle on the Great Barrier Reef:
Their preferred food source are sea sponges, which makes them unique in that they are one of the few animals with the ability to Read more
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Saltwater Crocodiles on the Great Barrier Reef?
February 16, 2009 by Kimberly · Leave a Comment
Northern Australia has the largest population of “Salties” in Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef is no exception, although you may be shocked to see one swimming in the ocean…Well, that’s why they’re called saltwater crocodiles. Plus, there’s plenty of food out there for them.
In fact, according to WWF, it has unique habitats and breeding sites for the saltwater crocodile.
I found this short video showing a saltwater crocodile that caught a large turtle on the shores of an island in the Great Barrier Reef:
I’ve been to the Northern Territory of Australia and I can truly vouch for the large number of Read more
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