Other low tide surveys (Apr-Mar 2021)

During this low tide cycle, volunteers monitored coral spawning at Raffles Lighthouse, checked out a 2.5km long seawall covered with corals at East Coast Park, and also the amazing shores at Changi.

Montage of photos by Nathaniel Soon, Chay Hoon, 
Loh Kok Sheng, Jianlin Liu and Marcus Ng

Links to albums of photos by these volunteers below.

Pulau Salu with NParks

Pulau Salu was surveyed on 28 Apr 2021, as part of NPark's Southern Island Biodiversity Survey. Pulau Salu requires special permission to visit as it lies near the Live Firing Islands. So it is not part of my regular surveys. 

Photos by Loh Kok Sheng

Volunteers shared photos of what they saw. It was good to see that the rocky island is very much alive. With lots of sharks! As well as the usual other marine life seen on similar shores.

Land of Leatheries: Terumbu Pempang Tengah

Huge leathery soft corals colonies of various shapes and colours crowd the southern part of Terumbu Pempang Tengah! Even though this submerged reef lies near Jurong Island and major shipping lanes.

Today, I also came across two Fluted giant clams, and I didn't see any mass coral bleaching.

Terumbu Bemban still reefy

A glorious sunrise as we head out to Terumbu Bemban, a submerged reef off Pulau Semakau. The last time we were here in  Jun 2020 it was to check for mass coral bleaching. 

We didn't see much bleaching last  year, and today, I saw mostly healthy corals. The team also found a large Fluted giant clam, lots of 'Nemos', a seahorse and other interesting marine life.

St. John's Island is alive!

A short boat ride from the Central Business District on the main island of Singapore, are the amazing living shores of St John's Island!

Here, there are living rocky shores, reefs, seagrass meadows. As well as rare mangrove trees on the untouched western shore, which is part of the Sisters Islands Marine Park. Things were pretty much similar to our last survey here in Oct 2020.

Coral overload at Pulau Hantu

Although it lies just across the petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom, there are living reefs, seagrasses and even mangroves on Pulau Hantu. 

On our last survey in Jul 2020, mass coral bleaching was seen here as well as many other shores. It was thus a relief today, to see no signs of mass bleaching in the hard corals and leathery soft corals. The rest of the team saw a Burrowing giant clam.