Our Coast to Coral Community Lecture series is back for 2019! Join Reef Check Australia and friends at The Bearded Lady for an evening of discovery, inspiration and appreciation of our local marine, coastal and catchment environments. Each month we have a new, interesting and engaging speaker.

6pm: Bar opens
6:30: Grab a seat (they go fast!)
6:45: Talk kicks-off
7:30: Pizza & good sea-minded conversation!

Entry is $3 (which gets you pizza at the end).

As the venue is a bar, Under 18's are most welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. And a 5 year gap is necessary, ie. 17-yr-old can not be accompanied by a 18-yr-old.

This initiative is hosted by Reef Check Australia, and proudly supported by Queensland Government Community Sustainability Action Grants, with amazing in-kind support from The Bearded Lady.

Come and celebrate EARTH HOUR in our Switch off to Switch off event in West End this Saturday! 

As the world switches off its lights in solidarity for Earth hour on Saturday March 30th, Reef Check Australia invites you to switch off your mind as well, for our Yoga by candlelight event. 

The event will be from 8.30-9.30pm, but please arrive early as we will start on time! 

This is a fundraising event, with all funds donated to Reef Check Australia to continue their vital work of conducting reef health surveys within the Moreton Bay area, and to assist with training of new Reef Ambassadors.

For more information or to secure your spot, head over to the event page.

Our Coast to Coral Community Lecture series is back for 2019! Come and join Reef Check Australia and friends at Underwater World Sealife - Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Australiafor an evening of discovery, inspiration and appreciation of our local marine, coastal and catchment environments. Each month we have a new, interesting and engaging speaker.

This month we'll hear from Miriam Henz about Mantis Shrimps. Miriam is a researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute of the University of Queensland. She studied at the University of Tübingen in Germany, earned her PhD at the University of Zürich in Switzerland and did a postdoc at Lund University in Sweden and finally escaped the long Scandinavian winters by moving down under.

Mantis shrimp (stomatopod crustaceans) are some of the most violent and beautiful creatures in the sea. Being ferocious fighters, they can strike with the same acceleration as a gunshot, making the water boil and producing a destructive shockwave. Learn (more) about spearers and smashers and how they evolved. Get to know caring partners, devoted mums, and bizarre, transparent larvae called ‘spiny balloons’, ‘flying saucers’, and ‘gnome hats’ drifting in the ocean currents. 

Arthropods have evolved sophisticated eyes, but small brains compared to vertebrates (like us) or cephalopods (like octopus). Miriam’s current research addresses questions such as: How do arthropods make sense of complex visual information from the environment without much computing power? Do they use the same processing strategies as their ‘brainy’ relatives? Are the small brains of arthropods one of the reasons for their enormous diversity of eye designs?

The talk will be held in the Seal Stadium at SEALIFE Mooloolaba, on Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba. Doors open at 6:15 pm for a 6:30 pm start. Stay after the event for a discussion with the presenter and other attendees and enjoy a pizza-rific snack.

6:15: Grab a seat
6:30: Talk kicks-off
7:15: Pizza & good sea-minded conversation!

Entry is $2 (which gets you pizza at the end).

RSVP at our Facebook event page.

This initiative is hosted by Reef Check Australia, and proudly supported by Sunshine Coast Council's Environment Levy partnerships grant and the June Canavan Foundation with amazing in-kind support from SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast.

If you're a PADI Advanced Open Water diver, or equivalent, and you've always wanted to get more involved in reef research - now is your chance! Expressions of Interest are now open for our upcoming SCUBA Surveyor training course.

Reef Check Australia SCUBA Surveyor training is a fun way to meet a tribe of reef-mind people, find out more about our beautiful reefs, boost your dive skills and build your capacity to actively contribute to scientific research. You don't need to have previous science or survey experience--we'll provide you with comprehensive training to safely collect great quality data to help look after reefs. 

When you successfully complete the surveyor course, you will receive a Reef Check EcoDiver certification and a PADI distinctive speciality certification.

The Reef Check EcoDiver qualification is recognised by the International global network of Reef Check programs, which allows you participate in survey expeditions at research sites all over the world! (Some locations may require additional training to learn regional indicators).

You will also be eligible to join our teams of surveyors in the water, collecting the important data we need to better understand, appreciate and protect our reefs. 

Training dates include: May 1, 8, 15, (6-9pm in Mooloolaba) and May 18-19 (2 dives each day from Mooloolaba).

This initiative is proudly supported by Sunshine Coast Council.

If this sounds like something you'd love, get your EOI in before 25 March.

APPLY HERE

Reef Ambassadors are reef role models who actively empower their communities to better understand and help protect marine environments at a local level. 

The Reef Ambassador program is a ground breaking project, training community outreach volunteers to actively inspire, motivate and support their communities to better understand and help protect local marine environments. This program mentors volunteers to develop their knowledge and skills in reef ecology, communications, behaviour change principles, and project planning to support positive locally relevant action for the reef. 

We are currently opening Expressions of Interest for Sunshine Coast based volunteers who live locally and wish to stay involved over multiple events, projects and seasons.

PLEASE NOTE: To participate on a Reef Ambassador training course, you must be able to attend all training dates, and commit to at least 6 months of volunteering. Training dates include: May 1 & 8 (6-9pm in Mooloolaba) and May 11-12 (full 2 days workshop).

This initiative is proudly supported by Sunshine Coast Council and the June Canavan Foundation.

If this sounds like something you'd love, get your EOI in before 25 March.

APPLY HERE

Sunshine Coast Environment Council is hosting the World Environment Day Festival on Sunday the 2^nd of June - and Reef Check Australia will be there!

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated in over 100 countries and looks to build awareness and action for the protection of our environment. The Sunshine Coast Environment Council (SCEC) and local environmental groups have been celebrating World Environment Day since 1979.

The WED Festival is Queensland's largest single day environmental festival and attracts over 8,000 visitors.  Featuring live performances from Z-Star Trinity, Fat Picnic, Mitch King and more, alongside food stalls, a fun kids program, live art and community and environment groups (including the RCA team!) the festival looks set to be an absolute blast.

If you're one of our Ambassadors and want to get involved on the day, give Jodi an email. Otherwise, please come along to this amazing free event and have a chat with the team!