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Sea turtles are fascinating creatures. I've photographed quite a few over the years - like this one - but it has always been a difficult exercise with just one wary turtle anywhere in view. I was lucky to get one good image before the turtle flippered away into the blue.
Last weekend Frederique and I had a terrific time with a colony of at least 6 Green Sea Turtles, Chelonia mydas, at the Amedee Marine Reserve.
Amedee Island is a very popular tourist destination and every day the MaryD high speed ferry brings hundreds of visitors to the tiny island 10 miles from Noumea. The visitors go snorkeling and/or take a trip on the MaryD glass bottom boat. Which means that every day the turtles have lots of people oogling them from the glass bottom boat or up close and personal. So they ignored us and calmly let me photograph them with my trusty GoPro Hero3+ while they munched on sea grass, held meetings, surfaced to take a breath, and sometimes had minor disputes over a choice frond of algae. I actually never realized before that these guys had a social life (other than mating, that is).
I came away knowing a whole lot more about sea turtles and over 100 really fine images showing green sea turtles from every conceivable angle.
It was a rare pleasure to be able to take photos of this endangered sea creature in its native habitat with clear, calm water only a couple of meters deep.
But the real credit for this image, and for the millions of other photos taken by visitors since 1993, goes to the dedicated men and women who created, protect, and provide access to the Amedee Special Marine Reserve. The reserve is now part of the New Caledonia Lagoon UNESCO World Heritage Management area that protects the worlds largest coral reef lagoon. Because of their continued efforts, you - or your children - can enjoy a close photo encounter with sea turtles whenever you wish. Just come to Noumea, hop on the MaryD ferry and don't forget your camera.
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新喀里多尼亚是离澳大利亚和新西兰最近的南太平洋岛屿。该岛是法国领地且官方语言是法语,尽管如此,其文化却丰富多彩,揉合了美拉尼西亚、欧洲、波利尼西亚、越南、中国、印尼等国的风情。这里有一个多山的大岛,称为大地岛 (Grande Terre),和6个较小的岛屿——洛亚蒂三岛 (Loyalty Islands)、贝莱普群岛 (Belep) 和松树岛 (Isle of Pines)。 整个群岛人口极为稀少,有大片的荒野。这里有数百公里长的徒步小径、随处可见的露营营地、超过42个公园和保护区、清澈透明的河流和莹莹闪光的瀑布。约三分之一的人口居住在首府努美阿。镍的开采是该国最主要的工业,也是维持其高标准生活的主要经济来源。大地岛四周环绕着世界第二大珊瑚礁,此珊瑚礁形成的泻湖是世界上最大的,也是受保护的泻湖。该泻湖于2008年被列为世界遗产,面积达24000平方公里,是品种丰富的鱼类和无脊椎动物栖息之地。 对于刚上岛的游客而言,最引人注目的是这里鲜艳夺目的色彩。努美阿以其完备的酒店、度假酒店、餐馆设施和丰富多彩的活动欢迎游客的到来。