A Summer Date

Seeing as we're stuck inside thought I might share some photos.

A couple of days ago Matthew took me on a date. So where do you go on the coast when you've lived here most of your life and it's freaking hot outside...

UnderWater World!!!

It's airconditioned, dark and full of wonderment!

I discovered it's terribly difficult to take pictures of fish in tanks. First of all it's fairly dim. Then there's the fact you can't ask a fish to stay still. And lastly anything that's not an SLR will focus on the glass rather than what's beyond it.... So needless to say my photos aren't terrific. But here are some of the gooduns.

Personally I adore the weedy seadragons. They're so majestic and understated. I sat there watching them float around for a good 10 minutes. Their lives must be so serene here. Everyone is doing their best to keep you alive. No predators, perfect water and all the krill you can eat. Seeing a seadragon hunt down one of those transparent little morsels is quite the spectacle. One second they're just flitting about and next they vanish, sucked up by this terror of the sea!

 

And everyone loves a lionfish. So beautiful, so graceful, so goddamnfreakingdeadly! Why anyone would want to keep one as a pet is beyond me...

The only other thing in this tank was a stonefish blobbing about on the bottom. Ugly thing. You wouldn't have seen it if there wasn't a plaque stating its presence.

Tropical fish are fascinating. Evolution definitely did them a favour. If you come to me and say there's not a single tropical fish that you think is cool I'll punch you in the face and tell you to look again.

 

This is the pignosed turtle. I'd never met one til this day. I'm glad I did.

 

And otters! Holy Crabapples they're cute! Imagine if cats lived in water. The world would a whole lot nicer if otters ruled. Our otter masters would be just and wise. Bringing an era of peace and harmony as all prejudices would be abolished and replaced with platonic love. I call it the Frolicism Movement.

 

 

At the end of our excursion we found these two. Giant crayfish!!!!

We were lucky enough to stumble upon them at feeding time. A long stick with a fish on the end descended from the unseen room above and these guys were remorseless. Lucky for the fish he was long dead.

 

There were all sorts of other awesome things to look at which didn't photograph well. Blind cave fish, enormous noxious catfish, the seal show and a massive tank with a tunnel built through it filled with sharks, rays and turtles.

All in all an excellent day out. 

Inspired we then went down the road to enjoy some beer battered barramundi and chips Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ