‘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.
Acropora corals, Norfolk Island’s reef
Norfolk Island’s reef is one of Australia’s most southerly. It isn’t showy like the Great Barrier Reef, and I often hear the comment that it is a little dowdy – boring and brown. I’m here to tell you that it is anything but.
For this little photo essay I randomly selected just a handful of my many ‘boring, brown’ coral images to demonstrate my point. I barely scratched the surface of my photo library, yet I think you will agree, the diversity is just amazing!
Read MoreA Norfolk Island endemic species, the Norfolk Island blenny, Parablennius serratolineatus
After about 18 months of asking, and with the help of some wonderful people from the data department of the Atlas of Living Australia and the Australian Museum, the Atlas of Living Australia website now recognises iNaturalist citizen science observations for Norfolk Island. Which is definitely something worth celebrating!
Read MoreOld Military Barracks after heavy rain, November 2020
Three years ago, on 31 July 2020, we woke after a night of torrential rain to a scene of devastation in Emily Bay on Norfolk Island. Arguably one of the most beautiful bays in the world was a fetid, smelly mess caused by the raw sewage that had flowed from the poorly maintained sewerage works and private septic tanks, down the hill and into the bay. Read on to find out what has happened since that dreadful day.
Read MoreEmily Bay, full moon rising, by Norfolk Island photographer Joelene Oliver
With the low, low tides associated with a full moon, the bays on Norfolk Island are like a huge, calm swimming pool, giving us some great snorkelling opportunities. These low tides should also let us view the causeway, which will no doubt be exposed too. This post explores these opportunities as well as what the low tides mean for corals. Read more in this fact packed blog post.
Read MoreA small school of scissortail sergeants with one interloper, an Indo-Pacific sergeant, Norfolk Island
There are a few fish species in Norfolk Island’s bays that are easily mixed up. Here’s four commonly confused pairs, with a few pointers to help you identify them.
Read MorePurple velvet sea star, Leiaster leachii, as it broadcasts spawn into the water column, Norfolk Island
In May on Norfolk Island, the day after the full moon and at low tide, I witnessed an enormous Leach’s sea star, Leiaster leachi, as it broadcast its gametes into the water column. What an amazing WOW moment! And what a privilege to witness such a rare event. Here are some images and video of the action.
Read MoreClose-up of the underside of the acropora coral colony after being toppled in a storm
On Norfolk Island’s reef, acropora coral colonies upturned in storm surges in September 2020 initially struggled to survive, but now they are now showing signs of new, healthy growth. This incredible photo is of those early days as it struggled. You can read more and see what it looks like today in my latest blog post, here.
Read MoreCrustose coralline algae, Norfolk Island
Animal, vegetable or mineral? What are crustose coralline algae? Are they important? What role do they play on our coral reefs?
There’s a lot to learn about coralline algae. For a humble lifeform, they really pack a punch.
Read MoreMy grandson
What will my grandson see when he is old enough to snorkel on Norfolk Island’s reef? Will there be anything left as I know it? Or will he think it is all great because of that hoary old phenomenon called ‘shifting baseline syndrome’? This record of all my photos and observations will give him some idea of what we had in our bays in the 2020s.
Read MoreBlack Blenny, Enchelyurus ater found in Slaughter Bay, Norfolk Island
This is a copy of the Australian Fishes journal post about new fish sightings on Norfolk Island: ‘This observation [of a black blenny] highlights the power of citizen scientists working with professional ichthyologists to achieve important outcomes,’ Mark McGrouther, Senior Fellow at the Australian Museum.
Read MoreDoris, a week after she was taken into rehab
Many of the turtles that live in Norfolk Island’s coral-reef lagoons are juveniles. In other words, they are the future of their species, and an important piece in the genetic jigsaw. Yet they seem to fall through the cracks when it comes to being protected by the EPBC Act.
Read MoreOne of the pair of ‘sometimes’ resident snubnose darts, Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island’s reef is small and intimate. We can count the numbers of some species of fish on one hand, and that is how I can watch the comings and goings with interest as I swim among them. I love the stories that play out and which I get to witness – these snubnose darts (Trachinotus blochii) are a case in point.
Read MoreA sea mat on the edge of the reef where the waves break, Norfolk Island
My March focus on Norfolk Island’s reef could almost go on for a full year, there’s so much to write about. But time dictates, so I will confine my efforts to one concentrated effort of randomness! Randomness, because there has been no plan to my posts. They have evolved as the month has progressed. Today I highlight two very different corals commonly seen, but not necessarily common.
Read MoreBubbles of oxygen forming on algae, photobombed by a tiny sea slug, sp, Elysia
March is often the warmest month on Norfolk Island’s reef, so it's no surprise that the algae are very busily photosynthesising and flourishing. Yesterday, I noticed that the algae had created a thick carpet of bubbles. As I swam my face was gently brushed by thousands of tingling bubbles, fizzing to the surface. It was quite a sight. And a rather weird sensation. So what is going on here?
Read MoreEmily Bay, Norfolk Island, #thecoloursarereal!
Looking across Emily Bay, do you wonder what is beneath the waves in there? Although this is not strictly part of Norfolk Island’s reef, it is part of one continuous ecosystem; therefore, in today’s March focus on Norfolk Island’s reef I thought it was worth showing you what you can see at your feet as you wade into the shallows.
Read MoreStunning Emily Bay, Norfolk Island.
In the 1960s we had reports voicing concerns around water quality, but nothing was done. When the Commonwealth of Australia’s EPBC Act came into force in 1999, nothing was done. Surely it is high time the issues of failing and inadequate infrastructure, deficient Norfolk Island laws and unsatisfactory protections were fixed once and for all?
Read MoreAcropora coral overgrown with algae, Norfolk Island
Today’s post for the March focus on Norfolk Island’s reef is a letter. Just that, and nothing more. The authors of this letter have very generously given me permission to reproduce it here. In it, Dr Kellie Pendoley and Dr Martin Goldsmith warn us about the future of Emily Bay. Written nearly eight years ago they give the coral reef habitat five to ten years before it is gone as we know it.
Read MoreThreadfin butterflyfish, Chaetodon auriga, Norfolk Island
Butterflyfish are flighty, brightly coloured and beautifully conspicuous on our coral reef in their bright yellows and oranges, white and black livery. On Norfolk Island we regularly see fourteen species, just a small portion of the more than 100 species, globally. Large numbers of butterflyfish are a good sign of a healthy reef.
Read MoreYellowstripe goatfish, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus
If you go for a snorkel on Norfolk Island’s reef, one family of fish that you are bound to see is members of the goatfish family. I have seen have six different species inside our lagoons. You can see them all here.
Read MoreAdult female elegant wrasse, Norfolk Island
It’s always fascinating to see how fish change in appearance as they mature. Today’s blog post features the elegant wrasse, Anampses elegans. But not only do they change how they look, they also change how they socialise and move about the reef.
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