‘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.
The mesmerising maze of the Paragoniastrea australensis
Paragoniastrea australensis is an incredibly slow growing species of coral. The colony featured in this post is probably 100 years old. When disease took hold in January 2024, it was gone, dead, in less than 100 days. Now it is a skeleton overgrown with algae. The worst part of this sad story is that it is our fault it died.
Read MoreBlue-barred parrotfish (Scarus ghobban), last seen in September 2021
In my ‘Year in review for 2023 on Norfolk Island’s reef’, published in December 2023, I made a few observations about the apparent disappearance of some fish species from Norfolk Island’s lagoons. I thought I would revisit these, principally because since December there has been so much additional fish activity here, with some exciting population increases and a few new species turning up.
Read MoreThe view across Emily Bay and Slaughter Bay’s contiguous reef at low tide. Quintal’s Passage can be seen as two parrallel lines of rocks. It runs from Emily out to sea.
We have shaped Kingston, Norfolk Island, to suit our own ends, whether it is by draining the swamp, undertaking major earthworks, or by using it for agriculture and grazing. Our interventions have placed the reef at risk. But simultaneously, the confluence of human activity and a unique natural environment have created a place of incredible significance, which deserves some special management to preserve all its facets.
Read MoreSurge wrasse, Thalassoma purpureum, Norfolk Island
George is a surge wrasse, also known as a green-blocked wrasse, purple wrasse or red and green wrasse, and more formally as a Thalassoma purpureum. All Norfolk Island’s lagoon-dwelling surge wrasses are referred to as ‘George’. These guys are insanely, eye-achingly colourful, so I decided they were worthy of a photo dump on these pages.
Read MoreHigh tide and pounding waves on Norfolk Island’s coral lagoon, southern shore, looking east towards Point Hunter
More reports to add to a long catalogue of reports were delivered to the general public over the last few days on Norfolk Island’s water quality and reef health. Reassuringly, they all say the same thing. Our poor water quality is affecting the health of our reef. So the science must be good! So when are we going to do something about it?
Read MoreGreen moon wrasse, Emily Bay, Norfolk Island
Do fish have eyes that move independently? Well, no, not really, but, yes, sort of, in some species, sometimes!
Read on for a brief ‘Fish eyes 101’ summary of how they work.
Read MoreA territorial banded scalyfin, Parma polylepis (aatuti), Norfolk Island
The banded scalyfins and the multispine damselfish are arguably two of the most common species in Norfolk Island’s lagoons. People often confuse them, particularly the juveniles, so here are some photos to clarify which are which. Once the differences have been pointed out, you’ll never confuse them again.
Read MoreIs this Atramentous Necrosis? This January, examples of this disease are popping up across Emily Bay on Norfolk Island
This month, I have increasingly noticed a disease that is presenting differently to the white syndrome that we have sadly become used to seeing. With this disease the coral goes grey-ish black and sometimes looks like it is almost dissolving or melting away. The result is a tragedy for the coral. I talk to coral health researcher Associate Professor Tracy Ainsworth about what is going on.
Read MoreSusan's flatworm, Pseudoceros susanae, Norfolk Island
Sharing knowledge is a fundamental aspect of human interaction that enriches both the giver and the receiver. Sharing and documenting knowledge ensures that valuable information and experiences are not lost but are instead preserved for future generations. So that is why I share.
Read MoreCemetery Bay, Norfolk Island, at low tide
Readers of this website may be familiar with my Facebook page, Norfolk Island Time, on which I cross post my blog posts about Norfolk Island's marine life. I can no longer gain access to that page. It’s been taken over by a random person hell bent on getting a free lunch. But worse is that this particular scam has been doing the rounds for years while Facebook offers little assistance. We should be angry.
Read MoreNorfolk Island’s inshore reef during low tide and at sunrise
Sadly, the year didn’t bring any obvious improvements to Norfolk Island's reef in terms of reductions in incidences of coral disease, or runaway algal growth. And while some fish seem to have departed the scene, another species has re-established its home. Here’s a rundown of what I've been doing during the last four years of observations, and what I've seen happening on our reef in 2023.
Read MoreI couldn’t resist posting these beautiful images of floating seaweed. Enjoy!
Read MoreAcropora coral, Norfolk Island, 14_StairwayReef, 14 November 2021
For two years, I have stopped by and photographed this beautiful Acropora coral formation in Emily Bay on Norfolk Island. In my database for this colony, I called the folder 14_StairwayReef; 14 for the geographic location on a map, followed by my romantic name for it. Today it is just so much rubble.
Read MoreWhite syndrome on a Hynophora pilosa colony, Norfolk Island, 23 November 2023
A pictorial study of the spread of white syndrome, over time, in a Hynophora pilosa colony on Norfolk Island. This beautiful coral colony is in the middle of the channel that runs between the contiguous Emily and Slaughter Bays, in Norfolk Island’s inshore coral reef lagoon. It’s one of my favourite places to pause and admire the scenery, when I’m out on my swim.
Read MoreThe surf breaking over Norfolk Island’s reef, Slaughter Bay
Can Norfolk Island claim the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest surf lifesaving club? Read on to find out more!
Read MoreThe marine algae Hydroclathrus clathratus, Norfolk Island
It’s common, wide spread around the globe, and yet I have only noticed it in recent weeks. It has been hiding in plain sight, yet this spongey algal blob, Hydroclathrus clathratus, is edible, and has been found to possess some remarkable medicinal properties. Read on to find out more!
Read MoreA bubble-tip anemone, Norfolk Island
A close relative of corals and jellyfish, sea anemones are soft-bodied animals that ensnare passing prey with their stinging tentacles. No one really knows how long they can live, but in the wild they are thought to live for more than a hundred years. They have some clever adaptations that contribute to their longevity. Maybe they can teach us their secrets for a long life!
Read MoreAcropora 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.
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