Today was our last day at South Minerva Reef. Our last dive this afternoon was inside the lagoon among a patchwork of coral bommies. It was like swimming through a maze with a sandy bottom and huge coral formations rising to the surface. We did a visual survey of fishes. We saw a gray reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and a group of large giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis), among many small reef fishes.
A maxima giant clam (Tridacna maxima)
Photo: Richard Robinson, www.depth.co.nz
We have been surprised by the number of giant clams at the Minerva reefs. On every bommie there are dozens of clams within the reef. A few of us have dived many reefs in the Pacific Ocean and have not encountered such a high density of clams.
Just after 6:00pm the RV Braveheart raised the anchor and our next stop is Raoul Island of the Kermadecs, where we are due to arrive on Friday morning.
By Dr Tom Trnski
