Visiting Mother Shore babies: East Coast PCN (Oct 2026)

Thanks to participants who made the time to visit the amazing seagrasses and corals that have settled naturally at a canal at East Coast PCN. These are the babies of our vast and unseen Mother Shores in the far south-west waters.

Photo thanks to Jason Ooi

We saw lots of interesting marine life in the seagrasses, and Lon and Samuel took them to see the corals growing along the seawall. This trip is part of the Love Our Mother shores October's talk and workshop. Here's what happened at the indoor talk and workshop. Grateful and awed that so many amazing people made time to come together to share and learn about our Mother Shores. Thank you!

I'm repeating this series in November. More details soon. Please join us if you can.

There's easy access off the PCN down a short seawall. But still, be careful going down as rocks can be slippery.

Seagrasses have settled inside the canal! The sharp-eyed participants spot all kinds of small animals among the seagrasses.

Bravo to the participants for crossing to the other side of the canal. The water is a little high and some parts of the ground a little soft. So good covered footwear that doesn't come off your foot is vital for safe passage. Thanks to Lon for finding the shortest safest path.

On the other side of the canal, more lush seagrasses. The participants spotted lots of interesting marine life from sea moth to leaf porter crab. Also some Haddon's carpet anemones. In this canal, we can see 7 of Singapore's 12 species of seagrasses. All were healthy. Tape seagrasses were long, and we saw male and female flowers. Elsewhere in the south, seagrasses are not doing as well. The survey team's last survey here was in May 2026. Lon feels the seagrasses are doing even better today.

Photos by Rui Quan Oh

We start to see corals even near the canal mouth. There are more corals as we head seaward along the seawall. Thanks to Lon and Samuel for taking the participants out as far as the tide allowed. It wasn't super low, but they managed to see the patch of Branching montipora corals, as well as some other colourful corals and sponges.

Photos by Rui Quan Oh

More amazing sightings shared by Han Ping Lim. From rare sand dollar and Ramose murex, to fishes and other cool critters.

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.

Preparatory works for Long Island will involve removal of seabed obstructions, construction of temporary sand bunds and sand infilling. Phase 1 will begin end-2026, while Phase 2 will take place after the end of the SEA Games 2029.

Along the way to the shore, we saw some signs of work. This one is apparently part of the Preparatory Work for Long Island. We also saw trees marked with tape. Usually a result of some survey which might affect them.

NParks seems to be building a bridge across the canal at NSRCC, next to the existing wide road bridge. I could not find public information on this. The QR code just goes to the home page. Wonder if there was an EIA? The construction is right opposite a good intertidal with seagrasses and living sandy shores. We did not do this shore today, but will do soon.

Stepping down the seawall to the shore, we noticed blackish sand. There was no strong smell of oil. Could this be related to the oil slicks found at East Coast Park Area D, which led to the closure of that stretch of beach? The shore at PCN is outside NParks' East Coast Park proper.

According to the Straits Times (29 Oct), Area D was closed on 23 Oct and reopened on 29 Oct. MPA had added that it is investigating the source of the oil, which it said was observed to have landed there on the evening of Oct 23. aerial surveillance on the morning of Oct 24 did not find any oil in the waters off East Coast Park. The National Parks Board has also not observed any impact to wildlife in the vicinity of East Coast Park. NEA Facebook post about the closure.

See these and other East Coast shores for yourself!

It's fun and easy to explore these shores. Come see these shores before they are gone! 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.

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.

More photos by others on the field trip

Rui Quan Oh



Han Peng Lim