East Coast briefly - with half a Stonefish

A reef has settled at a seawall on the other side of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal next to the East Coast PCN. While one of our nicest seagrass patches is growing at the mouth of a canal here.

A small team surveyed this shore on a not-so-low tide and came across half a Stonefish, and a whole moray eel. Our artificial shores are very much alive!

The tide wasn't low enough to see the most dense coral growths near the sea wall. But peeking out of the water were many tough boulder-shaped corals. I didn't see any that were bleaching.The patch of Branching montipora corals are still there and seem to be doing well.

As usual, it's a little hard to spot animals in broad daylight, and it was hot in the beginning. But we saw half a Stonefish (its body was eaten and only the head remained). Kelvin spotted a moray eel in the seawall. There were the usual common marine life.

Most photos by Kelvin Yong.
Link to his album below.

Kelvin's video of the moray eel in the sea wall.

One of the nicest patch of seagrasses in Singapore is at the mouth of this canal at East Coast Park! Almost all the seagrass species for Singapore can be found here. And they grow very lush and healthily, green and fresh without much epiphytes, leaves long and not cropped. As in the past, I saw Spoon seagrass (large and small leaves - a small patch in the canal was bleaching); Needle seagrass (broad and narrow leaves); Noodle seagrass; Smooth ribbon seagrass; Serrated ribbon seagrass and lots of Tape seagrass with long leaves. Some Tape seagrasses had male and female flowers. I didn't see Sickle seagrass today. Unfortunately, today I didn't see many animals among the seagrasses.

This Lunar New Year holiday, many people were enjoying the waters. From windsurfing to fishing. The rich seagrass meadows and reefs make this a great spot for cast fishing.

There were also many traps laid into the canal from the bridge and along the sides of the canal. I also saw a very old abandoned net.

We saw large piles of sand, and a large work site behind green unmarked hoarding in the area between Changi Coast Walk, Tanah Merah Coast Road and the Park Connector (red star on map).

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.

Technical studies for 'Long Island' 800ha reclamation off the East Coast were recently announced to begin.

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

Our short survey ended with a refreshing rain shower. We hope the shores stay safe until we can visit again.

Photos by others on the survey

Kelvin Yong


Muhd Nasry


Tommy Arden

Others on the survey: Tommy Arden, Phoebe Zhou Huixin