A group of very excited scuba divers with Great Adventures Cruises at Green Island were treated to a rare encounter with a young adult dugong. Estimated to be around 2 metres in length, this was the first dugong sighting recorded by Great Adventures divers at Green Island in several years. It was also the first ever sighting for videographer Dan Liu and two very lucky introductory divers on holiday from Ballarat Victoria. “It was so exciting to see! He was very curious swimming near us as the group were diving on a nearby coral bommie. He came close within about 4 metres, swimming away and then coming back for another look before swimming off over the seagrass beds,” said Dan Liu. Dugongs, often called sea cows, as they graze shallow seagrass meadows (eating up to 40kg a day!) are found across the tropical belt in Australia. They reach a length of 3 metres, live up to 70 years of age and can weigh as much as 400kg. Dugongs are fascinating mammals, sharing a common ancestor with elephants, and early sailors are believed to have confused them for mythical mermaids. They are most closely related to the manatee, their northern hemisphere relative. They resemble a large dolphin but lack a dorsal fin and have an upper lip covered in thick bristles. They are well designed for aquatic life, with nostrils situated on top of their heads so they can breathe, and have a large, strong tail that propels them through the water. Their eyes and ears are on the side of their heads. Although their eyesight is poor, they have an acute sense of hearing.” Dugong are threatened on a worldwide scale and in Australia, are a protected species under various legislation including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. This important sighting will be reported to GBRMPA’s Eye on the Reef monitoring program contributing valuable information about these endangered creatures as well as the long-term protection and management of the reef. Video credit Dan Liu, Island Photography Australia

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Sea Spirit is een jong dynamisch bedrijf gespecialiseerd in: de organisatie van teambuilding zeilevenementen vanuit Zuid- Bretagne. Onze doelgroep: bedrijven uit Benelux-Frankrijk - Engeland Bezoek onze officiële websites: www.seaspirit-stories.com

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Nouveau Nautitech 44 Open présenté pour la première fois en Europe lors de l'international Multihull show de La Grande Motte. Le catamaran à voile Nautitech 44 Open conjugue à la perfection convivialité à bord et performance de navigation. Vaste salon extérieur, gain d’espace maximal, optimisation des éléments de sécurité et de navigation pour toujours plus de plaisir en mer… Nautitech revisite son concept Open dans un modèle de catamaran signature, au design fluide et acéré pour satisfaire tous les marins en quête de longs voyages et de tour du monde à la voile. Contactez Neo Marine, votre concessionnaire de La Rochelle aux Antilles pour plus d'informations ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Nautitech 44 Open presented for the first time in Europe at the international Multihull show in La Grande Motte. The Nautitech 44 Open sailing catamaran perfectly combines on-board user-friendliness and sailing performance. With a large exterior salon, maximum space savings, and optimized safety and navigation features for even greater pleasure at sea, Nautitech has revisited its Open concept in a signature catamaran model, with a fluid, sharp design to satisfy all sailors looking for long voyages and round-the-world sailing. Contact Neo Marine, your dealer from La Rochelle to the West Indies for more information!

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