Ageing colourfully. This guy! — Norfolk Island's Reef

Out on A Swim

‘Out on a swim’ is a coral reef blog that tells the stories of the characters who live under the waves and what has caught my eye when ‘out on a swim’ in the lagoons of Norfolk Island. It is also a record of the difficulties Norfolk Island’s reef faces, like many others around the world, as a result of the poor water quality that has been allowed to flow onto it.

This page shows the most recent blog posts. For the complete catalogue, visit the ‘Out on a swim index’ page.

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Green moon wrasse, Norfolk Island, 17 July 2024

As is often the case while I’m out on my swim, last week this guy was circling me, right in my face, peering at me as he swam around and around. He’s the alpha male in the Emily Bay and channel area of Norfolk Island’s reef. The boss – a green moon wrasse, Thalassoma lutescens.

In the oblique afternoon light I could see he was looking a little scarred and care-worn. Like an old war horse with a few battle scars.

Which got me wondering. How long has he been swimming beside me? When did I first capture him on camera?

In a blog post back in September 2021, I remarked, ‘The green moon wrasse were very active and inquisitive this week. One, in particular, followed me for a good half an hour as I made my way around the reef off the Salt House.’

That ‘one’ was this guy.

I tend to take him for granted because he is always around, in my face, posing for photos. I apologise for anthropomorphising here, but he’s inquisitive, fearless, and oozes chutzpah. He’s like a pet puppy.

I was rather emotional after seeing him looking visibly older, but it spurred me on to see when he first appeared in my life. I pored over my green moon wrasse folder of photos (and there are quite a few in there), checking all the images out for matching markings on each side of their faces. I ended up with quite a few that are definitely him, and quite a few that are ‘maybe’s. Below are the definites.

The first definite photo is in November 2020, at which stage he was a young adult, probably having recently transitioned from female to male. By that November the blue band around his middle, only sported by terminal males, had intensified in colour.

Since then he’s gained a few dents and scars, probably had lots of babies, and generally lived the best life a green moon wrasse can live.

Here’s his story in photos.

(Cont’d below)

Left side

28 November 2020

4 September 2021

21 November 2022

5 December 2022

1 February 2023

8 March 2023

25 November 2023

2 July 2024

Right side

28 November 2020

7 May 2021

28 October 2021

26 November 2021

25 January 2023

14 May 2023

26 July 2023

2 July 2024

Green moon wrasse are said to live five to seven years in the wild, which means that our lovely old friend could well be classified as an elder. I am guessing that one day soonish he just won’t be there, but at least I can show my appreciation for his friendly, show-pony cheek with his own dedicated blog post.

You’ve gotta love him!

And if you want to see the different colours at different life stages for this species of fish, go to my fish page on this site, and scroll down to W for Wrasses.

Jul 28, 2025

Reef relief

Today, 28 July, is World Nature Conservation Day. After the dry 2024, Norfolk Island’s reef is looking healthier – a brief reprieve as less water - laden with nutrients - flowed into the lagoon. These photos show what’s possible. It’s a reminder that recovery is within reach – though renewed runoff could quickly undo the gains.

Jul 20, 2025

Emily Bay's big 'brain' coral

In Emily Bay, Norfolk Island, a single coral bommie – Paragoniastrea australensis – has stood for decades as a micro-reef, harbouring diverse marine life and local memories. Once photographed in 1988 and still thriving today, it remains a keystone of reef biodiversity and a living link between past and present.

Jul 14, 2025

Biodiversity matters

Over five and a half years of snorkelling Norfolk’s lagoon, we’ve documented 23 fish species not previously recorded in this area. Some are local ghosts, others climate migrants. These observations help us understand and protect what makes our reef so special.

Jun 17, 2025

Poop power

Not all poop on a reef is bad poop. In fact some kinds of poop can be a reef’s most important invisible engine. Fish poop, bird poop – even poop that gets eaten again by other fish – all of it keeps the ecosystem ticking over in a way that’s nothing short of extraordinary.

Jun 13, 2025

Glimpses of recovery: what the reef could be if we let it

Day 6 of this photo series from Norfolk Island coincides with the final day of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. After a week of documenting decline, today’s post offers a different view – what reef recovery can look like when conditions improve. Drought in 2024 gave the reef a break, and the results were unmistakable: healthier corals, lower disease, and more fish. This is what’s possible if we act.

Jun 12, 2025

Warning signs: quiet and unnoticed collapse of two coral colonies

Day 5 of my blog series for the UN Ocean Conference: two long-lived coral colonies in Norfolk’s lagoon died quietly from disease. No drama – just slow collapse and overgrowth by algae. A reminder that not all reef losses are loud, but they are happening.

Jun 11, 2025

Warning signs: what Norfolk Island’s reef is telling us

Day 4 of a week-long photo series from Norfolk Island, shared during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. Today’s post spotlights a Hydnophora pilosa colony where white syndrome appeared suddenly and spread quickly, taking out around a quarter of the coral. In the months that followed, algae quietly filled the gap – a subtle but telling shift from coral to algae that’s happening across the reef.

Jun 10, 2025

Warning signs: coral disease takes hold

In Day 3 of this blog post series, published while leaders gather at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, we see Norfolk Island’s coral reef lagoon quietly delivering a stark warning: recurrent land-based pollution, coral disease, and delayed decisions are dismantling this ecosystem in real time.

Jun 9, 2025

Warning signs: coral growth anomalies – the slow cancers of the reef

Day 2’s post coinciding with the UN Ocean Conference looks at coral growth anomalies – sometimes called coral ‘cancers’. These slow-moving diseases quietly weaken coral colonies, making them far more vulnerable to storm damage and algal takeover. On Norfolk Island’s reef, I’ve watched this exact process play out over several years. This is how chronic stress silently dismantles coral ecosystems.

Jun 8, 2025

Warning signs: shifting baselines on Norfolk Island’s reef

Today is World Ocean Day — a timely moment to launch my week-long blog series on Norfolk Island’s reef. Each day this week, I’ll be sharing photo essays that document the slow but steady pressures reshaping this fragile reef. Today: how shifting baselines make us blind to what we’ve already lost.