For the first time, we get a glimpse of the small nameless reef that barely sticks out of the water even at the lowest tide.
Lying between Beting Bemban Besar and Pulau Semakau, we dubbed it Beting Bemban Kecil aka Anak (Child of) BBB. The small intrepid team that braved the landing found a living shore with healthy corals, large anemones!
Kelvin describes the reef: "West side of the reef is rocky, with many blue corals seen, with a steep drop into a deep water channel while the east side is sandy with a gentle gradient and shallow shore." There were 2 fish traps (bubu) laid on the reef with bricks. No fish were seen inside the traps.
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| Photo by Kelvin Yong |
Kelvin says "Middle of the reef is a mix of sand and rock with large colonies soft coral. Hard corals were seen spaced out throughout the reef. Most of the reef was still underwater even though the lowest tide was forecasted for 0.1m"
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| Photo by Kelvin Yong |
Seems
Blue corals are abundant. These tough guys are neither hard corals nor blue, and are indeed usually common on the reef edge. There were some large colonies of common hard corals on the reef edge, smaller colonies elsewhere, plus some mushroom corals of various kinds. Some seemed pale but most looked alright.
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| Collage of photos by Kelvin and Lon. |
There were also large clusters of Leathery soft corals of various kinds. And Kelvin spotted nudibranchs, flatworm and Diadema sea urchins.
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| Collage of photos by Kelvin and Lon. |
They saw clusters of
Magnificent anemones, which probably form when the anemone reproduces asexually - one anemone splits into fragments, and each fragment develops into a full sized clone, identical to the original. That is probably why the anemones crammed together in a cluster usually have body columns of the same colour. In fact, a small Magnificent anemone was seen. There was also a
Pizza anemone,
Giant carpet anemone. As well as many
Frilly anemones which are common in such rocky reefs.
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| Collage of photos by Kelvin and Lon. |
Thanks to Kelvin leading our more intrepid team members, we have recently managed a glimpse at some shores for the first time.
Terumbu Palat - a trio of tiny reefs which are likely to be affected by the
ongoing Pulau Sudong reclamation. Also
Cigar Reef just off Pulau Hantu. And now Beting Bemban Kecil. Hopefully, we can soon tick off the box on some of the other smaller reefs that we have never surveyed before!
Future of Beting Bemban KecilLarge areas near Beting Bemban Besar and Kecil are slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the
Long-Term Plan Review.
The Singapore Blue Plan 2018Pulau Semakau and nearby islands and submerged reefs have been recommended by the Singapore Blue Plan 2018 for Immediate Conservation Priority. The Blue Plan recommends the intertidal and subtidal marine areas of Pulau Semakau and adjacent Pulau Hantu, and Pulau Jong to be designated Marine Reserve.
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From Beting Bemban Besar,
the small team surveying Beting Bemban Kecil
with Pulau Semakau on the horizon. |
The Blue Plan highlights that Pulau Semakau and its associated patch reefs comprise many ecosystems: coral reefs, mangrove areas, intertidal sandflats, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The subtidal area of Pulau Jong is larger than the terrestrial area. Pulau Hantu is a popular dive site has seen increasing interest in the past decade due to biodiversity awareness. If protection is accorded to these three islands, zonation plans for use can be implemented to manage tourism and human impacts.
DOWNLOAD the Plan, SUPPORT the Plan! More on the
Singapore Blue Plan 2018 site.
Photos by those on the surveyKelvin YongLonOthers on the survey: Ian Mun, Isaac.
