We went out dugong spotting aboard 'Shotover' an 18 m catamaran. Dugongs graze on sea grass in waters only about 2 m deep so the sailing catamaran is ideal for getting up close to them. Of course we chose a peculiarly choppy and windy day, not ideal for seeing under the water. The company claims that you will never be seasick on their vessel and guarantee a $100 to anyone who vomits- Vanessa came very very close to being the lucky recipient of said cash prize.
We did see a whole family of dugongs bobbing up to the surface.
No prizes for marine photographers of the year, but it was very choppy!
There are an estimated 10,000 dugongs in this area representing around 10% of the world's population. Sightings of dugongs supposedly started the myth about the existence of mermaids.Now I suppose if you were in a ship that had not seen land for 12 months, and were suffering from scurvy and cholera, and only had cheap rum to drink you may ( at a push ) think these odd brown bovine looking creatures were attractive naked ladies with fishy tails. Or maybe not.
Also spotted several dolphins and a giant loggerhead turtle.
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