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Norfolk Island's Reef

Discover a fragile paradise – Norfolk Island's beaches, lagoons and coral reef
  • Home
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    • Algae
    • Corals
    • Eels
    • Everything Else
    • Kingston, Norfolk Island
    • Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs and Flatworms
    • Octopuses
    • Out On A Swim Index
    • Reef Fish
    • Sharks
    • Sea Anemones
    • Sea Stars
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  • Out on a swim - blog
  • About
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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.

This blog is rated in the Top 20 Coral Reef Blogs in the world.

Blue drummer - Girella cyanea

Here's looking at you!

April 27, 2021

I thought I’d have a bit of fun and post some of my favourite images of fish as they look at me head on. It’s such a beautiful perspective, and one that often makes you wonder what they are thinking. Enjoy!

View fullsize Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
View fullsize Bluespine unicornfish - Naso unicornis
Bluespine unicornfish - Naso unicornis
View fullsize Pacific rockcod - Trachypoma macracanthus
Pacific rockcod - Trachypoma macracanthus
View fullsize Blacktip morwong - Cheilodactylus francisi
Blacktip morwong - Cheilodactylus francisi
View fullsize Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
View fullsize Masked bannerfish - Heniochus monoceros
Masked bannerfish - Heniochus monoceros
View fullsize Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
View fullsize Spotted porcupinefish - Diodon hystrix
Spotted porcupinefish - Diodon hystrix
View fullsize Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
View fullsize Bluespine unicornfish - Naso unicornis
Bluespine unicornfish - Naso unicornis
View fullsize Halfmoon grouper - Epinephelus rivulatus
Halfmoon grouper - Epinephelus rivulatus
View fullsize Banded scalyfin - Parma polylepis
Banded scalyfin - Parma polylepis
View fullsize Dick's damsel - Plectroglyphidodon dickii
Dick's damsel - Plectroglyphidodon dickii
View fullsize Snubnose dart - Trachinotus blochii
Snubnose dart - Trachinotus blochii
View fullsize Vagabond butterflyfish - Chaetodon vagabundus
Vagabond butterflyfish - Chaetodon vagabundus
View fullsize Banded scalyfin - Parma polylepis
Banded scalyfin - Parma polylepis
View fullsize Sixbar wrasse - Thalassoma hardwicke
Sixbar wrasse - Thalassoma hardwicke
View fullsize Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
View fullsize Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
View fullsize Brassy drummer - Kyphosus vaigiensis
Brassy drummer - Kyphosus vaigiensis
View fullsize Banded scalyfin - Parma polylepis
Banded scalyfin - Parma polylepis
View fullsize Blue drummer - Girella cyanea
Blue drummer - Girella cyanea
View fullsize Pacific rockcod - Trachypoma macracanthus
Pacific rockcod - Trachypoma macracanthus
View fullsize Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
View fullsize Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
View fullsize Black butterflyfish - Chaetodon flavirostris
Black butterflyfish - Chaetodon flavirostris
View fullsize Painted morwong - Cheilodactylus ephippium
Painted morwong - Cheilodactylus ephippium
View fullsize Norfolk cardinalfish - Ostorhinchus norfolcensis
Norfolk cardinalfish - Ostorhinchus norfolcensis
View fullsize Redcap triplefin - Enneapterygius rufopileus
Redcap triplefin - Enneapterygius rufopileus
View fullsize Pinstriped butterflyfish - Chaetodon lunulatus
Pinstriped butterflyfish - Chaetodon lunulatus
View fullsize Clouded saury - Saurida nebulosa
Clouded saury - Saurida nebulosa
View fullsize Notch-head marblefish - Aplodactylus etheridgii
Notch-head marblefish - Aplodactylus etheridgii
View fullsize Surge wrasse - Thalassoma purpureum
Surge wrasse - Thalassoma purpureum
View fullsize Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
View fullsize Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
Multispine damselfish - Neoglyphidodon polyacanthus
View fullsize Bluespot butterflyfish - Chaetodon plebeius
Bluespot butterflyfish - Chaetodon plebeius
View fullsize Bluebarred parrotfish - Scarus ghobban
Bluebarred parrotfish - Scarus ghobban
View fullsize Blackback butterflyfish - Chaetodon melannotus
Blackback butterflyfish - Chaetodon melannotus
View fullsize Trevally - Pseudocaranx sp "dentex"
Trevally - Pseudocaranx sp "dentex"
View fullsize Convict surgeonfish - Acanthurus triostegus
Convict surgeonfish - Acanthurus triostegus
View fullsize Bluespot butterflyfish - Chaetodon plebeius
Bluespot butterflyfish - Chaetodon plebeius
View fullsize Bluebarred parrotfish - Scarus ghobban
Bluebarred parrotfish - Scarus ghobban
View fullsize Inscribed wrasse - Notolabrus inscriptus
Inscribed wrasse - Notolabrus inscriptus
View fullsize Green moon wrasse - Thalassoma lutescens
Green moon wrasse - Thalassoma lutescens
View fullsize Threadfin butterflyfish - Chaetodon auriga
Threadfin butterflyfish - Chaetodon auriga
View fullsize Blackback butterflyfish - Chaetodon melannotus
Blackback butterflyfish - Chaetodon melannotus
View fullsize Brassy drummer - Kyphosus vaigiensis
Brassy drummer - Kyphosus vaigiensis
View fullsize Snubnose dart - Trachinotus blochii
Snubnose dart - Trachinotus blochii
View fullsize Bluespine unicornfish - Naso unicornis
Bluespine unicornfish - Naso unicornis
View fullsize Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
Three-striped butterflyfish - Chaetodon tricinctus
View fullsize Dick's damsel - Plectroglyphidodon dickii
Dick's damsel - Plectroglyphidodon dickii
View fullsize Wartylip mullet - Crenimugil crenilabis
Wartylip mullet - Crenimugil crenilabis
View fullsize Spotted sawtail - Prionurus maculatus
Spotted sawtail - Prionurus maculatus
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Featured
Aglow among the spines
Oct 25, 2025
Aglow among the spines
Oct 25, 2025

Ever seen a sea urchin that seems to glow blue from the shadows? That’s Diadema savignyi showing off its reef shimmer. Beautiful, a little spiky, and definitely not to be messed with.

Oct 25, 2025
The funky seventies sea slug – Halgerda willeyi
Oct 15, 2025
The funky seventies sea slug – Halgerda willeyi
Oct 15, 2025

If ever a sea slug was channeling the 1970s, it’s Halgerda willeyi. With its groovy orange lines and chocolate-brown bumps, it looks straight out of a vintage lounge suite – the kind with shag pile carpet and bold floral cushions. Proof that nature was nailing retro design long before humans caught on.

Oct 15, 2025
Haddon's barometer
Oct 5, 2025
Haddon's barometer
Oct 5, 2025

This Haddon’s anemone has been quietly living in the middle of Norfolk Island’s Emily Bay for years, bleaching and recovering with the seasons. Like corals, sea anemones host microscopic algae that provide most of their food. When stressed by heat or rainfall changes, they lose colour – and tell a story about seasonal changes to the weather.

Oct 5, 2025
Honoured to be featured
Sep 30, 2025
Honoured to be featured
Sep 30, 2025

I left school in the UK nearly 50 years ago, so it was a pleasant surprise to be invited to share some images and take part in an interview for an article about my work, to be published in the annual glossy magazine the school now produces. Here is the end product.

Sep 30, 2025
Celebrating Biodiversity Month on Norfolk Island
Sep 7, 2025
Celebrating Biodiversity Month on Norfolk Island
Sep 7, 2025

September is Biodiversity Month – the perfect time to celebrate the astonishing variety of life on Norfolk Island’s reef. From new fish sightings to coral mosaics, every observation is a reminder of how much there is still to learn and protect.

Read more about why biodiversity matters, globally and right here in our lagoon.

Sep 7, 2025
The fate of a coral colony when it succumbs to white syndrome – four years on
Aug 24, 2025
The fate of a coral colony when it succumbs to white syndrome – four years on
Aug 24, 2025

I’ve tracked one plating Acropora coral from 2021 to 2025. In just a few weeks, white syndrome wiped it out. Nearly four years years on, it’s still smothered in algae and sea squirts, with only the tiniest hint of new growth. It’s a stark reminder: without tackling the root cause, we’re just watching the same sad story repeat itself.

Aug 24, 2025
The Candy-Striped Cleaner Keeping the Reef Healthy
Aug 17, 2025
The Candy-Striped Cleaner Keeping the Reef Healthy
Aug 17, 2025

Candy-cane stripes, long white feelers, and a reef spa on offer – the banded coral shrimp waves its antennae to advertise cleaning services to passing fish.

Aug 17, 2025
Biomimicry: How a Boxfish Caught Mercedes Benz’s Eye
Aug 10, 2025
Biomimicry: How a Boxfish Caught Mercedes Benz’s Eye
Aug 10, 2025

Meet Mr Lemonhead – our lagoon’s teeny yellow boxfish with a big design legacy. He inspired a Mercedes Benz concept car, proving how nature is full of surprises. And he shares the lagoon with other critters whose tricks have also shaped real-world inventions.

Aug 10, 2025
Patchwork Corals: How Colonies Fuse to Form Living Mosaics
Aug 3, 2025
Patchwork Corals: How Colonies Fuse to Form Living Mosaics
Aug 3, 2025

Some corals wear more than one colour for a reason. When Paragoniastrea australensis colonies fuse early in life, they form living mosaics. A beautiful reminder of coral cooperation on Norfolk Island’s reef.

Aug 3, 2025
Reef relief
Jul 28, 2025
Reef relief
Jul 28, 2025

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 28, 2025

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