Amirante Islands
Sailing south from the Granitic Islands last night, we arrived in the Amirante Islands, late this morning. Situated on the outer banks of the Seychelles, Les Amirantes is a group of coral islands and atolls that stretch almost 100 miles in length, offering palm tree covered islands, white sandy beaches, lagoons filled with sea turtles, and brilliant reefs. The question was which one to choose?
After careful assessment, we guided the National Geographic Explorer to the channel between St. Joseph Atoll and D’Arros Island. Although only 1 mile east of the Atoll, D’Arros is actually a separate geographical unit, estranged from the Atoll by a deep water channel, one which is significantly deeper than much of the sea bed surrounding the rest of the Amirantes. It was here we would base our activities for the afternoon, using the rising tide to our advantage.
Cooling off in the mid-day sun, we took to the water by Glass Bottom Zodiac (our own invention here onboard), and under our own power as we swam and snorkeled one of the many reefs. Followed by curious batfish, we investigated what was just below the surface, and although some of the coral had been destroyed by a recent cyclone, we found some incredibly rich areas where thousands of fish found solace between the coral heads. One of the most distinctive corals we saw was the Gorgonian, or Sea Fan. Related to other cnidarians like anemones, and jellyfish, individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Colored in purples, reds, and yellows, a colony can be several feet high and across but usually only a few inches thick.
Surrounding many of these reefs are large areas of sand, in part due to coral destruction, as well as the natural process of white sand production courtesy of parrotfish feces. It is here where we found the stingrays. Related to sharks, stingrays spend most of their time on the sea floor, partially buried in sand. To swim, they move their enormous pectoral fins (commonly mistaken for ‘wings’), gliding gracefully across the bottom. They are outfitted with a stinger (really a cartilaginous spine) that is a razor-sharp, barbed, or serrated and grows from the ray's whip-like tail (like a fingernail), and can grow as long as 37 cm. Stingrays generally do not attack aggressively, or even actively defend themselves. When threatened, their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed stinger in their tail is whipped up. However, in order to avoid such mishaps ourselves, while we walk through the sand, we do the “stingray shuffle” dragging our feet so as to startle the stingray before it startles us!
As the sun began to set, our final adventure of the day was to explore the inner lagoon of St. Joseph Atoll. A completely different environment to the outer reef, these protected waters create a wonderful habitat for developing fish. Additionally, the bottom is covered in sea grass, which creates a perfect environment for turtles, which were in no shortage this evening.
Heading back to the ship under a purple and orange sky, our faces shown with contented smiles. How could they not after another day in paradise?
Sailing south from the Granitic Islands last night, we arrived in the Amirante Islands, late this morning. Situated on the outer banks of the Seychelles, Les Amirantes is a group of coral islands and atolls that stretch almost 100 miles in length, offering palm tree covered islands, white sandy beaches, lagoons filled with sea turtles, and brilliant reefs. The question was which one to choose?
After careful assessment, we guided the National Geographic Explorer to the channel between St. Joseph Atoll and D’Arros Island. Although only 1 mile east of the Atoll, D’Arros is actually a separate geographical unit, estranged from the Atoll by a deep water channel, one which is significantly deeper than much of the sea bed surrounding the rest of the Amirantes. It was here we would base our activities for the afternoon, using the rising tide to our advantage.
Cooling off in the mid-day sun, we took to the water by Glass Bottom Zodiac (our own invention here onboard), and under our own power as we swam and snorkeled one of the many reefs. Followed by curious batfish, we investigated what was just below the surface, and although some of the coral had been destroyed by a recent cyclone, we found some incredibly rich areas where thousands of fish found solace between the coral heads. One of the most distinctive corals we saw was the Gorgonian, or Sea Fan. Related to other cnidarians like anemones, and jellyfish, individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Colored in purples, reds, and yellows, a colony can be several feet high and across but usually only a few inches thick.
Surrounding many of these reefs are large areas of sand, in part due to coral destruction, as well as the natural process of white sand production courtesy of parrotfish feces. It is here where we found the stingrays. Related to sharks, stingrays spend most of their time on the sea floor, partially buried in sand. To swim, they move their enormous pectoral fins (commonly mistaken for ‘wings’), gliding gracefully across the bottom. They are outfitted with a stinger (really a cartilaginous spine) that is a razor-sharp, barbed, or serrated and grows from the ray's whip-like tail (like a fingernail), and can grow as long as 37 cm. Stingrays generally do not attack aggressively, or even actively defend themselves. When threatened, their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed stinger in their tail is whipped up. However, in order to avoid such mishaps ourselves, while we walk through the sand, we do the “stingray shuffle” dragging our feet so as to startle the stingray before it startles us!
As the sun began to set, our final adventure of the day was to explore the inner lagoon of St. Joseph Atoll. A completely different environment to the outer reef, these protected waters create a wonderful habitat for developing fish. Additionally, the bottom is covered in sea grass, which creates a perfect environment for turtles, which were in no shortage this evening.
Heading back to the ship under a purple and orange sky, our faces shown with contented smiles. How could they not after another day in paradise?
