Lady Musgrave - Turtle nesting season...

The first night we made it ashore we found a large Green Turtle laying her eggs in the sand surrounded by a small group of school students who were camped on the island.

We missed the turtle coming up the beach and digging her nest, but we stayed with her until she had finished laying and was on her way back down to the waters edge.

Eric enjoyed the show and even managed to stay quite for an hour or so. He was getting a little tired by the end, but he woke up rather quickly at one point to asked loudly why the turtle was flicking sand at him!

Emily and Ryan's own experience in 2011 had taught them to stand back after a turtle stops laying her eggs. I wonder if Eric will remember for next time?

North East Herald Cay - Turtle Treasure Hunt...

On our strolls around North East Herald Cay we found several turtle skeletons. All were on the rocky windward side of the cay and it is possible that the turtles had been washed ashore in rough condtions and got stuck.

Emily and Ryan were keen to see if they could piece together a full skeleton to determine exactly the fate of the turtles. Unforturnately after an hour or so of searching and piecing together the evidence the story was no clearer. But it was an educational afternoon nonetheless...

Lady Musgrave - Eric learns to snorkel...

Eric wants to be involved in all the activities aboard Lucey Blue and while he loved his underwater spy glass and scenic kayak tours he was desperate to be in the water. The only problem is he is still learning how to swim!

While this fact was a minor obstacle to Eric's aquatic ambitions we decided to take him out to the turtle pool and see if he could use his new googles and snorkel with support from Mum and Dad.

We suited Eric up in a full wetsuit and took the plunge. Eric was like a baby koala latched onto our backs while looking over our shoulders to see underwater.

Eric was so excited. He was wiggling, pointing, jumping up and down, exclaiming and carrying out lengthy monologues with his snorkel in his mouth! Who said you can't talk underwater?

Eric was in seventh heaven looking at turtles, fish, seahorses and starfish, but he eventually got cold and started to turn blue so despite his protests we headed back to the boat for warm showers.

Nick took Eric with Emily and Ryan out the next day to a shallow section of the lagoon and took the next step. With a lot of words of encouragement and support, a pair of blue fins and an extra wetsuit for added warmth and flotation Eric was away.

The look in his big wide eyes as he realised that he could swim and even snorkel is one that Nick will never forget - apprehension, doubt, confusion, amazement and then finally pure joy. There was a lot of cheering as Eric waddled along through the water half dog paddle, half moonwalk.

Eric swam by himself for over forty minutes that day at Lady Musgrave. He was so proud to be able to share his own special treasures with Emily and Ryan just as they had with him on our earlier adventures. He would swim this way and that, stop and point to share his excitment and when required tug on someones wetsuit to get them to see what he had found!

Emily and Ryan shared in Eric's joy. But on the way back Emily told us all that it was not fair that Eric had learnt to swim at Lady Musgrave given she had to learn in a "normal pool''. We all laughed while shivering on the dinghy ride back to Lucey Blue.

Eric then explained his swimming adventure to Mum and asked why his hands had gone wrinkled or as he said "all donkerly". Our youngest duck is growing up fast...

Lady Musgrave - Turtle season returns early...

Wow turtle season has sure started early out here - well at least they seem to be everywhere at the moment.

We have been surrounded by the most amazing turtles almost every time we have been snorkelling. Big old Loggerhead turtles that gently glide through the water and little Green trutles that zip around in the clear blue lagoon.

There are some special spots on the reef where the turtles seem to gather in larger numbers. We really liked the turtle cleaning station in the shallow water on the south side of the island and the pool (or as Ryan has described it the 'mini mystery lagoon that has everything!') in the north wall of the outer barrier reef that only comes out at extreme low tide. Both are special places where the kids have spent hours swimming totally entralled by the spectacle around them.

Paradise? Well close enough for us at the moment...