The mass spawning coral myth, debunked: coral mass spawning has captured the imagination of the public, while some of the coverage in the media has cemented a number of myths surrounding the event. The most pervasive being that mass spawning only occurs on one night each year. Not true! Read more here.
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Old Gnarly the swal doodle, Emily Bay, Norfolk Island
Old Gnarly, the swal doodle
When I’m out on my swim, one guy I always stop by and say hello to is Old Gnarly, a spotted porcupinefish known here as a swal doodle. He knows when I arrive. The first thing you see are his big luminescent white lips as he floats to the door of his cave. We pause, study each other for a moment, then I give him the thumbs up before continuing my swim. It is a precious moment when you connect with a wild animal like this, and it makes my day.
Read MorePink coral spawn floating on the surface of Emily Bay, Norfolk Island, 28 December 2021
Coral spawning, Norfolk Island 2021
Out on a swim on the morning of 27 December 2021, the mood was palpably different. Call me fanciful, but I immediately noticed a frisson of excitement among the fish. Lots of activity and agitation. And all kinds of slightly unusual observations. The annual coral spawning here on Norfolk Island had begun.
Read MoreStylocheilus striatus – commonly called the lined sea hare, blue ring sea hare or furry sea hare
Furry sea hares as eco-warriors
Stylocheilus striatus – commonly called the lined sea hare, blue ring sea hare or furry sea hare – have appeared in numbers at one end of the shallows of Emily Bay. These little sea hares are great to have around as they consume the toxic blue-green alga that fish and other herbivores don’t or can’t eat or tolerate.
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#LittleFig, my puppa, following me in for a swim at Cemetery Bay, the island’s dog beach.
Penis fencing flatworms
Here’s a quick round up of what has been happening on Norfolk Island’s reef in the last couple of weeks. There is always so much going on. Read on to find out about the mating habits of flatworms, and see a busy bluestreak cleaner wrasse hard at work cleaning his wide variety of customers.
Read MoreSurge wrasse - Thalassoma purpureum
Nuptial colouration in blennies
Warmer water and some behavioural changes: some fish are getting their nuptial colours on, while others have started incubating eggs in their mouth. It is all happening ‘out on a swim’. Catch up on the last week in Norfolk Island’s lagoons here.
Read MoreBubble-tip anemone
Turtles and snake eels
Emily Bay never fails to lift my spirits. Today in my ‘Out on a Swim’ blog, I talk about our beautiful, elegant snake eels. We have at least three different species. I also saw my elusive spotfin squirrelfish, and our two resident green sea turtles snoozing next to each other. Naawww!
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Full moon rising over our home on Norfolk Island, #DownArthurs
September full moon on Norfolk Island
The full moon last night brought us some beautiful, settled weather, right on cue, which meant I was able to get out into Slaughter Bay for the first time in ages. Click here to read what was happening in the coral reef lagoons of Norfolk Island.
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Emily Bay in the spring sunshine. The seas outside the lagoons were wild this week.
Jockeying for space on the reef
I won’t lie, it has been a wipe-out in the bays this week with huge swells and poor visibility. I more than made up for it this morning. Everyone was out and about enjoying the spring sunshine. Apart from the turtle. She was asleep! Read here to find out who else was enjoying the sunshine.
Read MoreA school of sand mullet, Myxus elongatus
Report released into the health of Norfolk Island's reef
This week’s observations while out on a swim, included some very active and inquisitive green moon wrasse. One, in particular, followed me for a good half an hour as I made my way around the reef off the Salt House. Find out more about what was happening beneath the waves on Norfolk Island this week.
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Convict snake eel - Leiuranus versicolor
Banded, convict and spotted snake eels - know the difference
A beautiful banded snake eel, Leiuranus semicinctus, popped into view on Saturday. These gorgeous guys are docile and will dive head first into the sand if you get too close. Read on to discover how many types of snake eel we have in Norfolk Island’s lagoons.
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When corals go blue!
August is the coldest month of the year in the water here on Norfolk Island, with the temperature hovering around 18–19C. Not only do some swimmers turn a little bit blue if they stay in too long, so too do some of the corals. Read on to find out why.
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Snubnose dart
Winter snorkelling on our reef
I can guarantee that each time I head out into Norfolk Island’s lagoons I will see something new or interesting. This week was no different. Here is a quick wrap up of some of my more noteworthy observations this week while out on a swim.
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Collector urchin - Tripneustes gratilla
The importance of sea urchins
August on Norfolk Island is the coolest month of the year. The southerly winds have been bringing in pounding surf and reduced visibility in the bays. For those who are interested, the water temperature has been hovering between 17C and 18C. This week I showcase some of the different species of sea urchins in our bays and provide a few fast facts about them.
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Healthy Acropora, plate coral, in Cemetery Bay
The state of play on Norfolk Island's reef
We’ve had more than 55 years of warnings, reports and alarm bells about the water quality entering ‘pristine’ Emily and Slaughter Bays, so we know exactly what is harming our marine ecosystem. Now we just have to fix it.
Read MoreThe clear water of Emily Bay lagoon on Norfolk Island
Playing the long game: Norfolk Island’s coral reef and lagoons
What has taken me down the path from a day job as a writer, editor and communicator to creating a website about Norfolk Island’s coral reef habitat? The story of how and why norfolkislandreef.com.au came into being.
Read MoreA platygyra that has dramatically asserted its own space
War of the coral worlds!
How do corals assert their space on the reef? Who are the best gardners and protective parents? And have you heard of white syndrome? Sadly we have it on Norfolk Island’s reef. Read more here.
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Green sea turtle
Winter in Norfolk Island's lagoons
This week in Out on a Swim I quickly sum up the problems around the use of unsafe sunscreens that contain chemicals such as oxybenzone. These can cause ecological ruination to coral reefs and to the fish that call these reefs home. Read more here.
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Spotted porcupinefish, Diodon hystrix
A case of mistaken identity?
Over the years, the raft has provided shelter beneath its timbers for a thriving fish nursery. Beneath the raft was an amazing sight, teeming with fry. Last year we got a brand new raft made to a different design to the one we had before; now it sports flotation tanks beneath it. Since then, for whatever reason, the fish simply have not used the raft that much as a nursery.
Read MoreSlaughter Bay from Point Hunter, Lone Pine, low tide 27 June 2021
Mid-winter fabulousness
There’s been plenty going on under the waves here on Norfolk island, while above the waves we’ve just had the most fabulous mid-winter weather. With a full moon on 24 June, we experienced some wonderful low, low tides. Did you know that peak low tides always lag the full moon (and new moon) by a day or so?
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