Recovery at coral garden at East Coast Park

Thanks to Lon, Rui Quan and Dylan for surveying the amazing coral garden that has settled on artificial shores at East Coast Park. 

Photo by Lon Voon Ong.

In 2024, this shore was impacted by mass coral bleaching, the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill and the 5tonne Changi East oil overspill. Oil that landed on this shore was not cleaned as thoroughly because it is not a recreational beach. It's a relief to know the corals and seagrasses here seem to have recovered well in such a short time.

The super low tide allows a closer look at the 'elbow' or 'corner' of the seawall that extends out of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, forming a lagoon around the canal that runs next to the East Coast PCN.

Thanks to Lon, who is the only one among our team who can safely walk right to the 'elbow' of the seawall and bring back these amazing views of dense growths of corals there!

How lovely to know some less commonly encountered corals are found here, together with the usual common boulder shaped and plate forming corals.

It's relief to see this recovery because on our survey in Jul 2024, we estimated 90% of the corals were bleaching or highly stressed, with about 50% with dying or with dead portions (greyish colour is rotting tissue which smells bad). On our Oct 2024 survey, 90% were stone cold dead, all plate-forming corals were dead. Even in Jun 2025, we still saw signs of oil on this shore. 

Dead and dying corals seen in in Jul 2024

Today, I am amazed by what seems to be new young coral colonies growing on the skeleton of dead ones of the same species. Tiny mushroom corals growing attached around the circumference of a larger dead one - these corals eventually detach and become free-living (unattached to a surface) when they grow bigger. Little plate-forming corals also appear to be growing on the skeleton of a much larger similar coral that is stone cold dead. How amazing!

The huge patch of Branching montipora corals (about 5m x 5m) is surprisingly tough. When we saw it in Jul 2024 at the height of mass coral bleaching and after the oil spill, it was indeed bleaching but only the tips seemed dead. And in Jun 2025, the patch had already totally recovered. It seems perfectly fine today!

Seagrasses seem to be still doing well. With growths at the mouth of the canal, and further out towards the elbow. Most exciting to know the team spotted an Alligator pipefish, which has a prehensile tail to cling onto seagrasses. We used to see a lot of these at Cyrene, then they disappeared when the seagrasses at Cyrene disappeared in 2010. Rui Quan spotted a Dog-faced watersnake! Also seen, an Estuarine moray eel, an octopus, colourful fishes, large cowries and sea anemones.

Special thanks to Lon, Rui Quan and Dylan for surveying this shore. On the same tide, Zen and I were helping NParks guide a special group of people at Kusu Island and a visit to the St John's Island Marine Lab. 

Where did these corals come from?

The babies of these corals are from Singapore reefs! This chart shared in the Long-Term Plan Review shows coral larvae (babies) dispersal in our waters from mass coral spawning. This highlights the importance of protecting our 'mother reefs' so that they can continue to produce babies that settle all along our shoreline.

What is the fate of these shores?

These shores lie west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and are slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the Long-Term Plan Review.

This shore will also be affected by plans for Long Island.

Natural regeneration on Singapore's artificial shores and structures is already happening now. Unintentionally, with zero replanting. Can we plan coastal works to allow reefs, mangroves and seagrasses to naturally regenerate? Naturalise canals leading to the sea for a continuum of freshwater wetlands to mangroves? Imagine what's possible! Reefs and natural marine ecosystems at our doorstep, for all in the City to enjoy. More about this idea in my feedback to the Draft Master Plan 2013.

The Singapore Blue Plan 2018

Check out the Sinapore Blue Plan 2018 which outlines community recommendations for all these shores. DOWNLOAD the Plan, SUPPORT the Plan! More on the Singapore Blue Plan 2018 site.

See these and other East Coast shores for yourself!

It's fun and easy to explore these shores. More details in East Coast Park - Surprising intertidal adventures for the family.

This is what the corals looked like during a very low tide in May 2021
before the mass coral bleaching and oil spill impact in 2024.

Photos by the team

Lon Voon Ong


Rui Quan Oh


Dylan Seng