Artificial shores at Changi Bay are alive!

Thanks for to the tiny team of our Human Climbing Crabs for taking on the challenge to survey this large artificial shore that is quite hard to get to and slippery and tricky to survey. 

On the seawall, corals have settled naturally, and on the shallow berm, it seems even seagrasses have flourished with what seems to be a dugong feeding trail. An astonishing variety of marine life has settled here from colourful slugs to fishes, crabs and echinoderms.

The seagrassy area seems lush and even had what looks like a dugong feeding trail! As well as the usual animals associated with seagrasses like seahorses, swimming anemones, short spined black sea urchins. There were even animals commonly seen in soft shores like sea pens and cerianthids. Seems the seagrasses are mostly Spoon seagrass with some Needle seagrass.

People don't believe me when I say, Changi is among the best shores to see a wide variety of nudibranchs. No need to dive! Once again, the team proves this is true. From the commonly seen Jorunna nudibranchs busy chomping up a big blue sponge and then busy mating to make more sponge-eaters. To a wide variety of flatworms too.

Seems there is a good variety of echinoderms on the shore. From sea stars commonly seen on seagrasses to those found on hard surfaces. Brittle stars tiny to large. Diadema sea urchins more commonly associated with reefs - big one and smaller juvenile. To heart urchins which are burrowing and rarely seen above ground. As well as sea cucumbers, including many Big synaptid sea cucumbers more often seen on reefy shores.

A variety of corals have settled naturally on the seawall. Seems to be mostly commonly seen boulder shaped and plate-forming corals. There was also a large sea fan.

How wonderful to see fishes more commonly associated with reefs like juvenile Batfishes, special scorpionfishes and reef gobies. But there were also the usual northern fishes like Estuarine moray eel, filefishes, rabbitfish and more.

There were also sea anemones that are more commonly seen in the South, near reefs. Like the Giant carpet anemone and Frilly anemones. As well as South reef-associated crabs like the Teddy bear crab and some swimming crabs. But there were the usual hermit crabs, shrimps and other crabs common at Changi.

Where is Changi Bay shore?

Accessible via the PCN and only exposed at super low tides, the artificial seawall is just off Aviation Park Road. Here's a view of Changi Bay shores in relation to better known Changi Carpark 6 and Carpark 7 shores.

What is the fate of Changi Bay?

The planned reclamation off Aviation Park will bury the marine life here. Although it is reported that "corals within the project’s footprint and a surrounding buffer area will be transplanted elsewhere before development works begin". No timeline was given for the reclamation.

Here's a view of the planned Aviation Park reclamation overlaid on the locations of Changi shores.

The Lost Coast on the eastern most point of the area is already being reclaimed and much of the marine life there already lost.

See Changi shores for yourself !

They are easy to get to, and enjoyed by many people. It remains rich in marine life. More details in "Changi - an easy intertidal adventure for the family". This reefy part of Changi needs a very low spring tide of zero to minus zero. 

Photos by those on the survey

Loh Kok Sheng


Jianlin Liu


Rui Quan Oh


Earlier visits to this shore

Loh Kok Sheng 4 Jan 2026


Loh Kok Sheng on 28 Jun 2025


Loh Kok Sheng 9 Jul 2024


Loh Kok Sheng 24 Jan 2023


Loh Kok Sheng 31 Jan 2022