Spring Dive: Refresh Your Habits, Revive Our Ocean

News from the field

Stories and updates from our teams out & about. 

South East Queensland

Gold Coast Whale Festival

Written by Reef Ambassador, Adrienne Soteriou

On 13 July 2024, Reef Check Australia attended the annual Gold Coast Whale Festival. Set against a beautiful ocean backdrop at Burleigh Heads, the festival was perfectly situated for front-row seats to the main event – the annual humpback whale migration.

Presented by Humpbacks and highrises, the festival is a celebration of the local environment, showcasing marine animal rescue, research and citizen science groups on the Gold Coast. Our Reef Check ambassadors shared the work that Reef Check Australia does with interested community members, encouraged people to get involved, and even learnt a thing or two from the engaging science presentations held throughout the day (did you know the dugong’s closing living relative is an elephant?). And of course, the day was made complete by spotting whales in the distance.

Thank you to our volunteers Eleonora, Paul and Adrienne who attended the event.

Reef Check Acknowledge the people of the Yugambeh language region of the Gold Coast, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

This project has received funding support from The City of Gold Coasts Catchment and Citizen Science Grants Program.

Noosa Parks Association Friday Forum

🌿✨ Thank you to the Noosa Parks Association! 🌟

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined our General Manager, Jodi Salmond at the Noosa Parks Association Friday Environment Forum on July 26th. With over 50 attendees, we journeyed through Antarctica together, exploring leadership, environmental stewardship, and the power of awe. 🐧❄️

From Jodi; 'As a participant in the Homeward Bound Women in STEMM program, I shared my transformative expedition to Antarctica, where science, leadership, and sustainability intersect. This journey reinforced the critical importance of global collaboration in environmental conservation and personal growth.

The feedback truly touched me: "The audience was held in awe with your stories and amazing photos on Friday. We all had a wonderful morning thanks to you. Antarctica is a very special place, but you brought it to life with your energy and enthusiasm."

Thank you for making this experience so memorable! Let's continue to advocate for sustainable practices and inspire others to address climate challenges with strong leadership and a sense of awe for our planet. 🌍💙

Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Noosa region, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Moreton Bay Green Island - Reef Health Survey

By Team Leader, Jodi Salmond.
🌿🌊 Green Island West, Winter Survey - July 2024 ❄️✨

On our recent winter survey of Green Island West, we were greeted with stunning conditions—clear skies, calm seas, and crystal-clear water. It had been approximately six months since our last visit to this site, part of our ongoing partnership with the Port of Brisbane to study sediment movement and its impacts on the shallow reef habitats of Moreton Bay.

The water temperature was a brisk 14°C, the coldest we've recorded in Moreton Bay for a winter survey. Despite the chill, the visibility was excellent, allowing us to observe the reef in detail. However, we noticed a significant sediment load covering most of the corals, accompanied by a considerable amount of algae. This included nutrient indicator algae, which have become more prevalent in recent years, as well as several species of macroalgae typically associated with warmer conditions and often seen seasonally.

Interestingly, we found no target fish species at this site, which is quite unusual. This observation highlights the dynamic nature of this ecosystem and the importance of continuous monitoring to understand these changes better.

Our surveys are crucial in helping us understand the impacts of sedimentation on these vital coral habitats. Thank you to the Port of Brisbane for their support, to Wet Boat Hire for getting us to our sites, and to our amazing team of volunteers for their dedication, even in the chilliest waters!

We acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Danggar (Green Island), Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place. We pay our respects to their elders past, present, and future.

Peaks to Points Festival - Rocklea 

Written by Reef Ambassador, Christina Tan

It was a beautiful sunny Winter’s day in Brisbane, bustling with energy as many stallholders supporting a wide variety of environmental causes began setting up for family day at Oxley Creek Common. The wind offered some challenges, however we also knew some tricks, so we pulled through and held the fort down.

Families began trickling in, meanwhile, entertainment was in full swing with a variety of food trucks, performers and activities available for kids including face painting, bird box painting and a petting zoo.

A steady flow of interested visitors approached the Reef Check Australia stall, commending us on all the work being done, as well as sharing a lot of surprise that we were here completely of our own volition! It just goes to show what an impact the amazing and dedicated volunteers of Reef Check Australia have. Next time, we will have even more things to share and spread even more awareness. The day proceeded with playing a few fun “Who Am I’ photo card games with kids and even adults! Another great activity of the day was the “Which coral are you?” personality quiz. Quite a bit of interest was garnered in the diving work including surveying, and a few passed on their details to sign up to the email list.

All in all, thankyou to Peaks to Points for having us be part of such a fun event, bringing together many like-minded people in order to celebrate some of the great ongoing efforts and to share that passion with the wider community. A big thank you to the Reef Check Australia team, including all the volunteers for all their help from setup to pack down on the day; Ilha Byrne and Christina Tan!

Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and future.

Reef Check Australia activities within the Moreton Bay region are supported by the Port of Brisbane.

Moreton Bay St Helena Island - Reef Health Survey

By Team Leader, Jodi Salmond
🌿🌊 Palindrome, St Helena Reef Health Survey ❄️✨

In the first week of August, we conducted a reef health survey at Palindrome, located off St Helena Island in Moreton Bay. We were greeted with beautiful sunny weather, and the water was incredibly clear, though still quite cold at 15°C, reminding us that winter was still very much present.

During our survey, we observed patchy areas of both hard and soft coral, along with some sponges scattered across the site. Unfortunately, like other recent surveys, we recorded no target fish species, a trend that underscores the ongoing changes in our local marine environment. The site was also marked by significant amounts of both macroalgae and nutrient indicator algae, along with a noticeable presence of silt covering the area.

These findings highlight the delicate and changing nature of the reef ecosystem at Palindrome and the wider Moreton Bay. Continuous monitoring is essential to better understand these shifts and inform conservation efforts. Our work, supported by the Port of Brisbane, aims to shed light on these dynamic ecosystems and guide conservation efforts.

We extend our gratitude to Wet Boat Hire for their support in getting us to our survey sites and to our dedicated team of volunteers who braved the cold waters to contribute to this important work. We also thank the Port of Brisbane for their ongoing support in making these surveys possible.

We acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Quandamooka Country, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place. We pay our respects to their elders past, present, and future.

Great Barrier Reef

Lodestone Reef - Townsville - Reef Health Survey

Written by Team Leader, Jenni Calcraft.

Last month, our team conducted a survey at Gemma's Bommie and South Reef, part of the Lodestone Reef system. Despite facing severe impacts from coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish and cyclone damage in previous years, we're pleased to have observed a slow but steady recovery in hard coral cover! 🪸🌟

While we counted fewer fish crossing our transect line during our survey this year, the site is still vibrant with a high number of anemones—Nemo’s favourite home! 🐠🪸 South Reef remains an intriguing spot for eco-enthusiasts, showcasing resilient ecosystems and stunning large bommies.

Thankyou to Reef Ecologic for providing vessel support and of course for organising the whale show with amazing visibility. Also, a special shout out to Maddy for volunteering her valuable time to travel from Cairns to ensure this trip would go ahead! We could not have done this with you!

These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Wulgurukaba, Bindal and Manbarra People. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging.

Offshore Townsville Surveys are part of Reef Ecologic’s Integrated Coral Reef Citizen Science 2.0 Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Shute Harbour – Land based Clean Up 

On an absolutely glorious Sunday our small team of volunteers undertook 2 beach clean ups in Shute Harbour. We started on the small beach adjoining the large carpark and collected 2kg of debris which included 197 pieces of hard plastic fragments, 35 pieces of soft plastic film, broken glass, polystyrene, a 20ltr plastic drum and numerous other bits and pieces.

We then headed slightly west to a longer stretch of beach which is fringed by mangroves. At this site we collected 54.5kgs of debris and this does not include the large pieces of metal and tyre that we did not have the resources to deal with. We did retrieve a chair with matching footstool, a large boat fender, a jockey wheel and large plastic buoy. Whilst we collected a variety of items, we only found 50 pieces of hard plastic fragments, which is good compared to the first site, but we did collect 26 pieces of polystyrene and lots of rope scraps.

Erosion of the bank is evident along this stretch of beach and there is an abandoned house whose concrete deck sits precariously on the very edge, a victim of past cyclones.

Our cleanups were made possible by the generous support of Aurizon. These activities took place on the traditional lands of the Gia and Ngaro people and we pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

Books and podcasts

Have you read or listened to something lately that you would like to share? Let us know and we can feature it here

Current Coral Affairs

Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean

Yeti Crab!

Another marine curio brought to you by Dive Magazine, blind and hairy this could be described as the Goldilocks Crab.

Read now in: Dive Magazine

Orca Calf at Ningaloo

The first sighting of a baby Orca off the Exmouth coast in Western Australia in 3 years has researchers excited.

Read now in: ABC News

Get with the Program

Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.