A magical island

Sudha Mahalingam

Lady Elliott Island, a tiny coral cay in the South Pacific is not on the tourist radar, at least not yet. But it will soon be, when word gets around that this is the favourite location of Manta Rays, those gentle giants of the ocean which congregate here in their thousands every May and June to gorge on the plantkon that are especially plentiful in these waters. But Mantas are not the sole attraction in this gorgeous island rich in wildlife. There is marine life galore, oblivious of climate change elsewhere in the barrier reef.

LEI is already on the wildlife enthusiasts’ bucket list; dozens of them zero in on this tiny island, laden with their expensive underwater cameras and scuba gear. On this visit, there are a couple of them from France, another from Thailand, a few from Germany and Russia and a posse of marine biology students from US universities. The island is a marine biologist’s paradise.

But reaching the island requires some effort. Commercial airlines don’t fly there, but don’t despair, there are dedicated aviation companies which do. You take off from Gold Coast or Hervey Bay on the Queensland coast in Australia and fly for a couple of hours in a tiny Cessna, seated next to the pilot or just behind him. Since you fly low, you can see the humpbacks and dolphins swimming to the southern oceans, not to mention the dazzling coastline of Queensland.

Surprise, surprise, the island has no landing strip, but Shawn, your pilot is unfazed and smoothly eases the metallic bird onto the lambent green turf. On the reef a few yards away, the colourful corals are coy behind a turquoise shroud. The colour of the reef hints at a cornucopia of marine wildlife including vividly colourful corals.

For that, you need to dive or at least snorkel. If you’re visiting LEI, named for the wife of a former British Governor General who happened to serve in India as well, you might as well come armed with a PADI certificate. At 30 feet below the surface of the ocean, the ocean puts up a show like no other; hawksbill turtles cuddle up to you, wanting a scratch on the carapace, giant clams bleed purple when you brush against them accidentally– they get stressed out and squirt colour to blind you as they make their escape – and schooling fish entertain you with their endless antics. ‘Not to mention the huge Mantas which block out the sun as they pass overhead.Those who can’t dive can or snorkel can still reef walk at low tide. For the really sedentary, a gentle walk around this tiny island is a veritable feast in avian fauna – shore birds, water birds and even land birds, not to mention the unique island vegetation interspersed with marine fossils.

The island resort is the only place where you can stay; not only does it have excellent diving gear and equipment, but even rustles up magical meals complete with salads and fresh fruits. The provisions come in barges once or twice a month, but refrigeration fuelled by solar electricity keeps them fresh. A quaint lighthouse doubles as a bar in the evenings and you can swap tales – truthful as well as imagined, and watch the full moon rise out of a calm Pacific – pure magic!