"Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great."

Date: 18 September 2011 23:51:16

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. Psalm 104:24-26, ESV

Last week I spent 5 nights on Lady Elliot Island, the southern-most island, a coral cay, of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. I am usually a winter person, but the chance to do some swimming, snorkelling [sans snorkel, not sure what you call it], walking, and just getting away from everything -- no mobile phone reception -- was too good to give up, so I went for it. It was truly one of the most relaxing times I have had. The resort, small as it was, was wonderful, staffed by fantastic people who did all they could to assist. I went out on a glass-bottom boat, swam amid the coral and fish, and even swam by a turtle, walked around the island [only 40 hectares (99 acres)], including a walk with a guide in the coral, helping us all to see things we could easily miss, and went to some evening discussions on anything from a trip to Antarctica to Project Manta, a study of the manta rays off the north-eastern coast of Australia. A lot of research is done around Lady Elliot Island, so these talks were fascinating and informative. Seeing whales from the beach, or from the glass-bottom boat, I was reminded of Psalm 104, the Psalm chanted at Vespers in the Orthodox Church, and its reference to the leviathan which plays in the seas, and all the marine life, flora and fauna, as well as the 1000s of birds that were returning to the island for spring, reminded me of this Psalm. Photos are here, and some shots below showing the diversity and beauty of the island, including some underwater -- I am terrible at looking after things so a virtually indestructable camera is what I need and have!; apologies for my finger intruding: I was so excited at seeing a turtle.