11/27
Volunteers woke up very early this morning. It was still dark when we had our breakfast. I felt sick when it was around time for us to gather together. I felt a churning in my stomach. I had to diarrhea. (This disgusting word was taught by Natalie who graduated from UDW.<University of Dirty Word>.)
By the time I had finished it was quite late. Damian and I ran to the place where everybody had gathered. I told Damian when we were running that soldiers in Taiwan have to run 3 km every morning. And the worst part is, you have to finish it in a limited time. My father wanted me to accompany him on a 4 km lope every day when I was in Taiwan. Although running is good for the respiratory and circulatory system, but I don’t actually enjoy it. I would rather play basketball than run.
We went to a beach called 5 mile to practice the skills we learnt from the guide book and the video we had watched the day before. Every one had a clipboard with data sheets in it. The first thing we did was determined which subsection we were going to observe. After we arrived at the beach and found the totem, we drew an imaginary line perpendicular from the totem to the edge of the water. This marked the boundary between two sections. Then we had to walk on the high tide line to find the tracks left by the turtles.
The first step when we find a turtle track is to determine which species left it. Then we have to use the arrow theory to determine whether it’s an emerging or returning track. Then we follow the fresh returning track which may or may not lead us to a nest. There are a few important signs which help us to identify a successful nest. There should be an escarpment formed by the turtle throwing sand over the nest. There would probably be some grass and roots dug out by the turtle, on top of the mountain in the middle of the escarpment. After we have evaluated and determined that a nest is presented, we put the GPS on the top of the sand above the egg chamber. We record the coordinates of latitude and longitude. When finished it, we mark the tracks to prevent duplicate data been recorded on a successive date by another turtle tracker.
On the bus trip home from 5 mile, I decided to keep a diary. Doing this will hopefully improve my English writing skills, as well as documenting everything that happens whilst I am in Exmouth. I have asked Heather to help me edit my writing. If my English skills do improve, Heather is the person to thank.
In the afternoon around 3 p.m., we went to Turquoise bay to swim and snorkel. Turquoise bay is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The color of the water is literally turquoise. I had been to turquoise bay on 11/24 with Susie and Mira. I fell in love with the beach at first sight. The view is like the photograph in a travel magazine. The photo just jumps out at you. It was amazing and unbelievable.
This time Damian, Heather and I went to the other side of Turquoise Bay. If the side I went to on 11/24 was good for swimming, then the other side was great for snorkeling. The current there was very strong. I could hardly stand steadily in the water. I could only keep myself in the same place by swimming against the current. Damian recommended that I hire some flippers and a snokel, otherwise I won’t be able to see the reef.
Although I could not reach the reef, I could still see schools of fish in the water. The fishes in Turquoise Bay were big compared with those at Bungedi. The size of the fishes varied from 20 to 45 cm long. I didn’t know what species they were, but they were colorful and not afraid of humans. They swam next to me just as if I were one of them. It was a really fantastic experience!
I think that if I had hired a snorkel and flippers, I would be astonished by the underwater view. I should have brought some from Taiwan, but I guess it’s never too late to buy them in Australia.
Tomorrow we will go and see the turtles on the beach, I am very excited about it!
