Dear Friend After the icy blasts we now have an early "summer". It has certainly been a strange year so far for weather. While things have slowed a bit in the GBR (before we gear up again in a couple of months) our SEQ teams have still been busy and we bring you some more of our winter activities. Don't forget we have ambassador and surveyor training scheduled for later in the year, so be sure to check out our website for more information (links below). Also this news is coming to you early so we could include a link for the Sunshine Coast Marine Bioblitz which is on this week, August 30 and 31. Check out Sunshine Coast Marine Bioblitz for details and how to register! We hope to see you there. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Spring Dive" Refresh Your Habits, Revive Your Ocean News from the Field Books and Podcasts Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Spring Dive: Refresh Your Habits, Revive Our Ocean As the Australian spring bursts onto the scene, let's not just clean our homes – let's spring clean our impact on the ocean! This September, Reef Check Australia invites you to join the "Unclutter, Refresh, Reimagine" campaign, transforming your habits and contributing to a brighter future for our precious seas. Here's how you can Spring Clean Your Ocean Footprint: Unclutter your consumption: Unpack your pantry: Conduct a personal plastic audit and identify single-use plastics you can replace with reusable alternatives. Declutter your closet: Donate clothes you don't wear and choose sustainable fashion options that minimise environmental impact. Reduce your digital footprint: Unsubscribe from unwanted emails, shorten your online searches, and explore eco-friendly tech solutions.       2. Refresh your routines: Embrace green cleaning: Switch to natural cleaning products and adopt eco-friendly cleaning practices to minimise water and chemical waste. Rethink your commute: Opt for walking, cycling, or public transportation when possible to reduce your carbon footprint. Plan ocean-friendly meals: Choose sustainable seafood options, reduce food waste, and explore plant-based alternatives when cooking.       3. Reimagine your impact: Join a beach cleanup: Gather your friends and family and give your local coastline a spring clean, collecting plastic debris and making a tangible difference. Support ocean conservation initiatives: Donate to Reef Check Australia or other organizations working to protect our reefs and marine life. Become a citizen scientist: Participate in Reef Check Australia's citizen science programs and contribute valuable data to ocean research and conservation efforts. Remember, no action is too small! Every step you take to unclutter your habits, refresh your routines, and reimagine your impact contributes to a collective wave of positive change for the ocean. Let's embrace the fresh energy of spring and transform our everyday choices into powerful actions for a healthier ocean. Join Reef Check Australia, unclutter your ocean footprint, refresh your routines, and reimagine a future where our seas thrive! Together, we can make a splash this Spring 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 Humpback Highway by Vanessa Pirotta This very easy to read book gives an insight into what we do and don't know about whales. Vanessa shares her experiences on working to understand these majestic creatures and includes some snippets of information that could be handy for a trivia night! I highly recommend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in whales. "Word on the Reef" podcast dives into stories from the GBR Presented by Tanya Murphy, conservationist, scuba instructor and marine naturalist each podcast discusses issues and information surrounding the Great Barrier Reef. Check Out Dive Magazine for more information and links to podcast. 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.  Sun 15 Sep | Your Mates Brewery Raffles - come along to Your Mates at Warana, enjoy some live music and great food and buy some raffle tickets to support us. Great prizes up for grabs. Wed 18 Sep | Exploring active conservation (Sunshine Coast Biosphere) - Caloundra Power Boat Club, 5.30pm - 7.30pm. For more information and to register head to event brite  Mon 30 Sep | Ambassador training starts. Visit Our website for more information. Plus there will be lots more coming up soon so remember to follow us on socials. Whilst things have taken a back seat on the Coast to Corals talks, remember you can always watch past episodes by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here   and don't forget our annual reports by region are available on our website! Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2024 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear Friend In the past few weeks, our teams have been active both on and off the water. We've been conducting surveys, attending local events to promote reef conservation, and sharing ways people can make a difference from the comfort of their own homes. As another icy blast hits our shores, we're busy planning additional activities. We also have ambassador and surveyor training scheduled for later in the year, so be sure to check out our website for more information. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Master Skills, Master Change: Unleash Your Volunteer Potential News from the Field Books and Podcasts Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Master Skills, Master Change: Unleash Your Volunteer Potential This August, Reef Check Australia invites you to embark on a journey of self-discovery and ocean impact through the "Master Skills, Master Change" program. Dive into the science of the ocean, hone practical skills for conservation, and become a vital force for protecting our precious reefs. Here's how you can Master Skills, Master Change: Free Online Workshops: Join any one of the series of engaging online workshops throughout National Science Week. Learn everything from coral reef identification and marine debris classification to data analysis and effective public outreach. These interactive sessions will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to become a Reef Check Australia volunteer. Virtual Citizen Science Challenges: Put your newfound skills to the test! Participate in fun, online citizen science challenges throughout August. Analyse real-world data, contribute to vital research, and experience the thrill of scientific discovery, all from the comfort of your home.  Connect and Collaborate: Join our vibrant online community! Share your learning experiences, discuss challenges, and connect with fellow ocean enthusiasts. Forge friendships, gain inspiration, and discover the power of collective action for the ocean. Become a Reef Check Volunteer: Once you've mastered your skills, take the next step and join us as a Reef Check Australia volunteer. Apply your knowledge in real-world surveys, contribute to critical data collection, and make a tangible difference for our precious reefs. Master Skills, Master Change is more than just learning – it's a transformative journey. Gain confidence, build valuable skills, connect with a passionate community, and become a champion for the ocean. During National Science Week, ignite your curiosity, unleash your potential, and join us in shaping a brighter future for our underwater world. Remember, no prior experience is needed! Whether you're a seasoned science enthusiast or simply curious about the ocean, this program offers something for everyone. Take the first step, dive into the world of reef conservation, and discover the empowering connection between personal growth and positive change for our planet. Get ready to Master Skills, Master Change, and become a true ocean hero! News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about.  South East Queensland Logan Eco Action Festival On Sunday 2 June, Reef Check Australia attended the Logan Eco Action Festival. The festival was held at the Griffith University Meadowbrook campus, and is a celebration of our local environment, both terrestrial and marine, with stallholders from various groups sharing their top tips to live a more sustainable and eco-friendly life. Our Reef Ambassadors chatted with visitors about the citizen science work that Reef Check Australia does, who were eager to learn more about the importance of our local reefs. Through conversations with community members (including a visit from Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis!), we hoped to inspire others to make sustainable choices for our oceans. Thank you to our volunteers Elena, Paul, and Adrienne, who attended the event. Reef Check Australia acknowledges the Yuggera, Turrbal and Yugambeh people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which the festival was held and pays its respects to elders past and present. Logan Eco Action Festival is a Logan City Council initiative. Reef Check Australia activities within the Moreton Bay region are supported by the Port of Brisbane. Mudjimba Island - Reef Health Survey Written by Gabriella Scata; Reef Check Australia survey volunteer: The Reef Check Australia team headed to Mudjimba Island on Sunday 9 June, a site that has been surveyed annually since 2007. The dark cliffs of the whale-shaped "Old Woman Island" stood out majestically over the calm turquoise waters on this beautiful warm winter day. These waters are home to a diverse reef, with a good balance between hard and soft corals. Various patches of leathery soft corals create a particularly stunning view, enriched by the occasional gorgonian and branching soft coral. The conditions were perfect, with visibility around 10m and only a slight swell. This year, the team detected a slightly higher number of bleached corals, mostly hard corals. This was around 5-10% of the coral population surveyed up from 1% in 2023. The percentage of bleaching for each coral colony was around 60%, similar to last year. This is not surprising given that the GBR has experienced its 5th mass bleaching event in only 8 years this summer. Fortunately, coral damage appeared limited, with only a few Drupella snails detected at each site and a small number of other impacts such as fishing lines and unknown scars. Turf, crustose, coralline and Halimeda algae dominated the scene along with a variety of corals. A low number of target invertebrates and fish species was detected, in line with the previous year. These included a banded cleaner shrimp, a few cute baby bubble-tip anemones, some butterflyfish and snappers. However, this shallow reef boasts a high diversity of nudibranchs and sea stars and a few crinoids as well.  These include the eye-catching blue sea star (Linckia laevigata) and the black-spotted yellow nudibranch (Phyllidia ocellata).  The team was even lucky enough to encounter a small cuttlefish, a hawksbill turtle, a moray eel and a few crested morwongs. It was a pleasure to explore these reefs and their secret life. A big thanks to the team of Blue Tortuga, who were amazing and offered us a relaxed and caring atmosphere. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by the Sunshine Coast Councils Environment Levy Partnerships Grant. Kings Beach - Reef Health Survey Written by survey diver and trainer; Jodi Salmond. Utilising our super keen and dedicated local surveyors, we quickly mobilized to check out our long term reef health monitoring site at Kings Beach boat ramp for our annual reef health monitoring. With the stellar support of our local surface watch we were ready to dive into the crisp winter water and explore what awaited us! Despite the chilly water, the conditions were perfect with minimal waves, beautiful sunshine, and clear water. Kings Beach, a fringing reef located approximately 100m offshore, adjacent to a frequently used boat ramp near Caloundra's popular beachfront, was our destination. Our site sits at a depth of 3-4 meters, and was first added to our survey list in 2009 to better understand the reefs off the southern Sunshine Coast. This site is known for being heavily impacted by floods. Over the last couple of years the changes in the Pumicestone Passage has affected the site, so we were interested to see what changes might have occurred in the past 12 months. Notably, Kings Beach has experienced significant flooding events in 2011 and 2022, which have affected the coral populations. However, this year, we observed a surprising shift: the seasonal macro algae Asparagopsis, which usually blankets the site, was not present at all. Instead, we found an abundance of crustose coralline algae, a reef-building type of algae, along with various other algal species. During our survey, we spotted a couple of species of target fish and invertebrates, including collector urchins. Minimal amounts of rubbish were found, including a few pieces of fishing line and general debris. An interesting observation at this site is the high number of Drupella snails; a small, coral-eating snails. Although not all were found on corals or observed eating them, their consistent presence is noteworthy and may warrant further investigation. Our team also documented nudibranchs, a variety of other fish, and even a few large birds, including at least one eagle, soaring overhead as we surfaced. This site is best visited from the boat ramp during optimal conditions, which we were fortunate to experience today. The most extensive coral cover lies just off the boat ramp itself, with plenty of healthy hard corals thriving in just two to three meters of water. We noted a significant number of encrusting corals, sponges, and sea stars along the length of the transect. We also collected a series of photo transects to be uploaded into the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s Reef Cloud program, which uses artificial intelligence to analyse images. A special thanks to the team including our surface watch and our survey divers who made this survey possible. Reef Check acknowledges the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by the Sunshine Coast Council’s Environmental Levy Partnerships Grant. Reef Blitz - Wonder Reef on the Gold Coast  Written by Team Leader and survey diver, Jodi Salmond This June, we had the incredible opportunity to join a full crew of avid divers at Wonder Reef on the Gold Coast. Our mission was to explore and capture images of the thriving marine life on these fascinating structures. The team was thrilled to witness the abundance of life in the top 18 metres of the reef. We encountered an absolutely massive grouper, possibly the biggest any of us had ever seen—it was nearly as big as the divers! We were also visited by a school of spotted eagle rays and surrounded by countless fish darting past us. The reef was teeming with octopuses, nudibranchs, sponges, and even some corals already growing on the structures. Wonder Reef on the Gold Coast is the world’s first buoyant reef, situated 2.5 kilometres offshore from Main Beach. Comprising nine large sculptural structures, sitting at a depth of 30m at the bottom, it resembles a giant kelp forest and serves as both a stunning underwater art piece and a habitat for diverse marine life. Installed in 2021, the structures were designed by artist Daniel Templeman and constructed with Subcon Blue Solution, blending art, science, and engineering, making it a premier diving spot year-round​, enhancing tourism and promoting marine conservation. It was fascinating to see the diverse marine life that has established itself there over time. The purpose of this trip was to capture as many photos as possible of the various animals, and benthic categories. This effort is part of this year's Reef Blitz for the area put together by Reef Check Australia. Our primary goal was to conduct a bio-inventory of all nine structures in June as part of a winter Reef Blitz. We're particularly interested in comparing the marine life observed in winter with what we'll find in summer. This will help us understand any changes in diversity and abundance with the seasons in this region. The team was super excited to get back and upload all their photos to the iNaturalist website, as teams of scientists behind the scenes helped identify what we found. If you're interested in joining us for the next event, make sure to follow our facebook page. We'll be announcing the details of our next dive soon. Spaces are limited, so don't miss out! Remember, you don't have to wait for an official Reef Check Australia trip to explore Wonder Reef. just contact one of the local dive operators. Stay tuned for our summer survey! Big thanks to all the divers who participated in the event so far, and all those who continue to upload their photos. Thankyou also to Gold Coast Dive Adventures for getting us to the site and showing us around these magnificent structures. 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. Great Barrier Reef Middle Reef - Townsville - Reef Health Survey Middle Reef is a surprisingly pretty reef situated between Townsville and Magnetic Island. Due to the proximity of this site to the port, visibility can be limited and silt levels are typically medium to high. With the persistent strong winds we have been experiencing, this has delayed our survey at this site, but finally the weather smiled upon us and we headed out, excited to see how the reef is coping. Whilst the recorded amount of hard coral at Site 1 was down on our last survey (from 48% to 20% of the substrate), Site 2 was slightly higher (up from 48% to 52%). Rock (including rock covered with turf algae) made up the majority of the balance of the substrate. Coral bleaching was detected on most transects at each site, with an average of 9% of an individual colony bleached but less than 1% of the population affected. Trash and other damage was minimal with a few anemones being the only target invertebrate observed. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program, and the 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. We would like to thank Dave from Affordable Charters for supplying the boat and tanks and getting us safely to our sites. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Manbarra and Bwgcolman people of Palm Island, and the Wulgurukaba and Bindal People of the Townsville and Magnetic Island region. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today. Gordons Beach - Bowen – Landbased Clean Up  A gorgeous winters Sunday saw our team of amazing Reef Check and community volunteers (from Bowen and Airlie Beach) undertake a beach clean up at Gordon’s Beach, just south of Bowen, QLD. This beach is opposite the Big Mango, a local tourist information centre, and great place for a mango ice cream or the infamous mango sorbet. This beach has 4WD access to the waterfront with a track running along the beach just above the high tide line and is fringed by mangroves making it a popular fishing location.  The strand line contained large amounts of pumice but not as many small plastic fragments as we were expecting. Our team scoured the shoreline before heading into the mangroves where we retrieved discarded, decaying crab pots, fishing line, plastic bags, ropes, fragments of fabric and even a section of a large green wheelie bin. A long section of rubber was observed but had been in place so long that it was impossible to remove as it was woven amongst the roots of the mangrove trees. Several large tyres and some illegal dumping of items too large to remove was also observed up on the shoreline and this has been reported to the authorities. Overall, we removed 18kgs of debris which included 560 hard plastic fragments, 26 pieces of polystyrene, 41 pieces of soft plastic film remnants, 22 plastic food packaging items, 11 plastic drink bottles and 19 aluminium cans.  A big thanks to the volunteers who gave up their Sunday afternoon to help out at this event. This clean up was conducted on the traditional lands of the Juru, Gia and Ngaro peoples. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Townsville EcoFiesta The sun was shining and the crowds were out and about for the Eco Fiesta in Townsville. Held in the Anderson Gardens, this venue provided a wonderful backdrop for all the amazing information and market stalls which were part of this fiesta. The free native plants offered by several stalls were a big hit among the visitors, along with the face painting and an interesting story and display by Jo from Cape Creative based on the days theme of butterflies. Our team were kept busy quizzing our young visitors on our interactive “beach clean up” box; asking them to guess how many pieces of plastic were in the jar; and identifying the marine critters on our “what am I” cards. We were also able to enlighten the adult people on who Reef Check Australia is and the important work that we do and how they can become involved or simply make a difference by making small changes in their daily lives. It was great to observe people utilising the Townsville City Council Cup Library, where people could select a cup from the “bookcase” located near the coffee stall, use this instead of a single use coffee cup and then return it to the wash-station, where it was washed and reshelved for re-use. This is a great initiative and one we hope to observe at more events. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi people. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today. Waite Bay - Beach Clean Up  Waite Bay (or White Bay) is located on Haslewood Island, to the east of Whitsunday Island. An extensive fringing reef lies between Haslewood Island and Lupton Island, creating Waite Bay.  After postponing several times due to strong winds making it very uncomfortable to get to site our team finally made it in beautiful conditions. Our aim was to conduct a beach clean up at a small beach in Waite Bay as part of Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s ReefClean project. Due to the fringing reef within the bay, our team disembarked the boat in Windy Bay (on the western side of Haslewood Island) to walk over the hill to the beach. As soon as we reached shore (on the leeward side of the island), we encountered debris which was not a good sign. Upon approach to the target beach the team was halted by the sight of copious amounts of plastic debris on the beach. We all took a deep breath and commenced the huge task of collecting as much debris as possible in the time we had on the island. Our team were filling empty oil bottles, milk bottles, 5 gallon drums, buckets (all of which were found on the beach) with small pieces of hard plastic, trying to consolidate the haul to fit into the bags we had. We certainly made a visible difference to the beach, hauling out 39 kilograms of mostly hard plastic debris which included 1083 plastic bottle tops, 16 toothbrushes, 6 razors and more than 6000 pieces of hard plastic remnants. Much of the debris was weathered and included some items that were clearly distinguishable as foreign items. Thanks to John at Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for flexibility in getting us to site. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue through ReefClean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.  ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef. 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 Brought to you by the creator of Octopus Teacher, this book encourages us to reconnect with nature. Amphibious Soul by Craig Foster League of Extraordinary Divers - Faith Ortins In this episode Tec Clark chats with Faith Ortins who is an American diving legend. She become a Tec diver when it was considered a mans sport and was responsible for encouraging DUI to develop women's drysuits. Listen to the podcast on Scuba Guru Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Shrinking Grey Whales! A study has revealed that Grey Whales are shrinking and this could impact their future health. Read now in: Dive Magazine 'Cocaine Sharks' in Brazil Illegal drug production is thought to be responsible for harmful substances in Brazilian waters. Read now in: National Geographic Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  Sat 10 Aug | Moreton Bay Research Station Open Day. Visit marine.uq.edu.au for more information. Sun 18 Aug | Land based clean up Whitsundays - follow our facebook page for more details. Mon 30 Sep | Ambassador training starts. Visit Our website for more information. Plus there will be lots more coming up soon so remember to follow us on socials. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here   and don't forget our annual reports by region are available on our website! Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2024 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear Friend We've been experiencing some incredible weather recently, and despite the chill, it's been keeping our teams incredibly busy. From conducting surveys and underwater clean-ups to training our surveyors and attending various events, there's been no shortage of action. A big congratulations to our newly trained surveyors who have successfully completed their in-water training and are now gearing up for upcoming surveys. As Plastic Free July kicks off, be sure to stay tuned for all the exciting events happening in your area. Join us in making a difference—pop along and get involved! This months email includes: Action of the Month: Unveiling the Plastic Pendulum - From Reliance to Revolution News from the Field Books and Podcasts Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Unveiling the Plastic Pendulum - From Reliance to Revolution This July, Reef Check Australia invites you to join a bold experiment: Let's examine our plastic pendulum. For one month, we'll swing from passive consumers to conscious actors, understanding the plastic web we've woven and taking control of the future. Start with a Self-Discovery Dive: Conduct a personal plastic audit. Unpack your pantry, unpack your habits. How much plastic clings to your life? Analyse, categorise, and be honest. This isn't judgment, it's a crucial step towards mindful change. From Awareness to Action: Immerse yourself in the ocean's vulnerability. Read articles, watch documentaries, witness firsthand the plastic tide washing over coral reefs. Understanding the scope of the issue amplifies our responsibility and ignites the fires of change. Small Swaps, Big Impact: Forget overwhelming overhauls. Focus on simple, achievable modifications. Ditch plastic straws, carry a reusable water bottle, embrace cloth bags, choose cardboard over plastic packaging. Every tiny shift ripples outward, creating a wave of collective impact. This July, let's swing the pendulum in unison. Dive deeper, understand the plastic dance, and choreograph a new routine – one where respect for the ocean guides our every step. Join Reef Check Australia, become a conscious consumer, and dance towards a plastic-free future. Together, we can rewrite the rhythm of our planet, one mindful choice at a time. Let's make July a month of conscious reflection and impactful action, swinging the plastic pendulum towards a healthier ocean and a brighter future for all News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about.  South East Queensland Tallebudgera Creek - Clean Up Dive Reef Check Australia volunteers were blessed with some amazing weather on 13 April 2024 for our annual Tallebudgera cleanup event. We started the day collecting items from the shoreline around Kevin Gates park, before heading underwater for a dive cleanup. In good news, there was definitely a reduction in the amount of rubbish collected around the park, with fewer plastic items collected than last year. However, we still collected quite a bit of fishing waste including fishing line and plastic bait bags. Underwater, we collected an overwhelming amount of fishing line, lures and hooks. One diver alone collected over 20 pieces of fishing line, 5 lures, 7 hooks, 8 weights, and 2 bottles. In total we collected over 2 kg of rubbish, with the majority collected underwater. Remember to fish responsibly and make use of designated waste bins. This goes for any waste items being disposed of near our natural waterways and beaches. Plastic items and fishing line can be ingested by marine life or cause entanglements which can be fatal. Plastic items in particular have also been shown to leach toxic chemicals into the environment. Not to mention that rubbish detracts from the beauty and cleanliness of our natural land/seascapes. Simply disposing of your rubbish in the correct bins after a day at the beach, or avoiding single-use plastic items can go a long way. Let’s keep our community clean together! Reef Check acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live and work. We would also like to thank all our sponsors and supporters whose make these events possible. And of course, a massive shoutout to all our amazing Tallebudgera volunteers: Gabriella Scata, Jarrod Cameron, Sabrina Morrison and Carly Parry. This project has received funding support from the City of Gold Coasts Catchment and Citizen Science Grants Program. Landcare Awards Congratulations to all the incredible nominees and winners of the 2023/2024 QLD Landcare Awards! We joined people from all over Queensland a couple of weeks ago virtually watch the QLD Landcare Awards ceremony last week, and what an inspiring event it was! A huge congratulations to all the incredible nominees and winners. Your dedication to protecting Queensland's natural resources and building resilient landscapes is truly awe-inspiring. From sustainable agriculture to community partnerships, to clean ups above and below the waters surface, education and community outreach, each project showcased amazing innovation and a deep passion for our environment. We're so grateful for all the landcare heroes out there making a difference! Let's give a big shout out to these amazing Queenslanders.   La Balsa - Mooloolah River - Reef Health Survey Written by survey diver, Sally Richards On the Sunshine Coast, near the Mooloolah River mouth, is a site at La Balsa north, which was set up in 2018 due to growing interest in the area. The site runs parallel to the shore, at a depth of 5m. It is a popular swimming and fishing location for locals and visitors alike due to its easy access and protection from the wind. It is dominated by rock and sand, but is also home to the occasional nudibranch, and rare sights like pipefish and seahorses have also been reported! The reports thus far had been during the months of October to February, so it was interesting to see what, if any, differences could be seen during the outlier of June. While perhaps not relevant to the month itself, the most current three reports have shown a significant increase in Butterfly Fish seen. Snapper over the past two years have also proven to be a lot more abundant than the previous years, which is a promising sign for the area, despite its popularity for fishing. There was also an unusual sighting of two large fish, including Barracuda! Unfortunately, however, the impacts of trash have also been steadily increasing at La Balsa. The main culprits being a sharp uprise in glass bottles and fishing line, though car tyres and even a “disposable” vape had also been found. While we should all understand the detriment to the environment, and in turn, ourselves, in regards to plastic in our waterways, we need to understand that glass bottles also have no place there! A study from the University of South Hampton has found that glass bottles are four times more environmentally damaging than plastic – when you consider the amount of energy and natural resources used during creation and shipping. While plastic bottles can be reused 12-20 times, most glass bottles (wine and beer especially) are thrown out after a single use. According to the CSIRO, many countries are close to recycling 100 per cent of their glass. But in Australia, more than a quarter of the glass we consume becomes rubbish that goes to landfill. This is obviously not even including the ones found in our local waterways! Please remember not to litter, and to spread the word if you do see it happening, from shore or boats alike – Keep Australia Beautiful! (And PS there is such a thing as bio-degradable fishing line!) Thank you to our Reef Check Australia survey divers for collecting and disposing of all they could, responsibly. Big thanks to Jodi, Phil, Christa and Sally for their ongoing efforts, and congratulations to Sally for completing her RCA survey course on the weekend, and following it up with her first survey for this event. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by the Sunshine Coast Councils Environment Levy Partnerships Grant. Mudjimba Island - The Ledge - Reef Health Survey Written by Misa Nirasawa, survey diver in training; After 4 months of high seas, strong winds and plenty of rain the Reef Check Australia team eagerly set out to survey Mudjimba (Old Woman) Island, a site we visit annually and last surveyed in April 2023. We were happy to discover a relatively small amount of coral bleaching at this particular Mudjimba Island Site, with only 5% of the overall population bleached. However, those bleached colonies were heavily impacted, with an average of 60-70% bleaching. We also recorded a number of bleached anemones without fish. At Mudjimba shallow reef, a mix of hard corals, soft corals, rocky substrate and algae provides habitat for many species, from small invertebrates to larger animals. For instance, we recorded nudibranchs, a lobster, wobbegong sharks blending into the reef floor and a sea turtle feasting on algae. If devastating bleaching was to occur at a mass scale at Mudjimba Island, it would affect all these creatures who call this reef home. Sadly, we also recorded entangled fishing line and boat anchor damage on both hard and soft corals. As a new member of Reef Check Australia, this was my in-water training day to become a scuba surveyor and a PADI Reef Check EcoDiver. The instructor was very knowledgeable and made it a very fun experience for the whole team. I am very excited for my upcoming journey with Reef Check Australia. Thankyou to RCA Instructor, Jodi Salmond, and co-surveyor-in-training dive buddy, Sally Richards. You both did fantastically, and we are so excited to see you in the water! A big thanks to the team of Blue Tortuga for getting us to our site. Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by the Sunshine Coast Councils Environment Levy Partnerships Grant. Great Barrier Reef Florence Bay - Magnetic Island - Reef Health Survey Our team headed out to beautiful Magnetic Island on an amazing day to survey the reefs that lie within Florence Bay. These reefs are accessible from shore, with the corals occurring on the rock walls on either side of the bay, making this a popular snorkelling spot. The amount of hard coral st Site 1 decreased slightly from our last survey (50% down to 40%), but Site 2 saw an increase (from 44% to 52%) with slightly more rubble detected at both sites. Nutrient indicator algae was not recorded on the point transect at either site which is a decrease from previous years. Coral bleaching was only recorded on 3 of the 8 transects, with less than 1% of the population impacted. Overall the impacts recorded were minimal however we did find one fin, one mask strap and one mask (minus the strap) at different locations along the transect on Site 2. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program, and the 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. We would like to also thank Dave from Affordable Charters for supplying the boat and tanks and getting us to our sites. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Manbarra and Bwgcolman people of Palm Island, and the Wulgurukaba and Bindal People of the Townsville and Magnetic Island region. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today. Fitzroy Island – Clean Up Above and Below water Our Reef Check Australia GBR team recently embarked on a beach and underwater clean-up at Welcome Bay, off the coast of Cairns, as part of the ReefClean program. 🚮 From removing glass bottles to fishing lines, every piece of trash collected makes a difference. We stumbled upon unexpected treasures like a car tyre, a decommissioned mooring line, and lots of fishing lines (which we removed) next to a mooring block hosting a plethora of marine life! No fish or turtles will get entangled here on our watch! We gathered over 6 metres of fishing line and 9kg of debris from underwater and the sandy shores. 👏 Huge thanks to our partners at Reef Restoration Foundation for supplying scuba cylinders to the team and Fitzroy Island Sports Hub for storage of gear. Of course, thankyou to volunteers Jules and Maddy for their time and good vibes. Special shout out to Jules Lim for volunteering with Reef Check Australia for 10 years now and, even better, unbeknownst to us, celebrating her 700th dive with a clean-up! Reef Check acknowledges the Gurabana Gunggandji people as the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country where these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging. The ReefClean program is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa blue and several partner organisations, including Reef Check Australia. Join the movement for a cleaner, healthier Great Barrier Reef! Horseshoe Bay - Bowen - Reef Health Survey With winds having abated and visibility vastly improved we jumped in at Horseshoe Bay in Bowen to conduct our inaugural Reef Check Australia reef health survey at this site. This site faces east and has fringing reef along the rocks on either side of the bay, plus a reef that runs almost right across the bay at around 4m depth. It is also home to “Bywa” which is part of the underwater art trail. “Bywa” comes from a traditional word of the Kala Lagaw Ya dialect of the Western islands of Torres Strait and translates to “waterspout”. Whilst the sculpture sits on the sand on the southern side of the bay, we conducted our survey along the corals on the northern side of the bay. This site is not subject to currents but is impacted by easterly and south-easterly winds. We chose the northern side of the bay to encapsulate the most reef at snorkel depth. Hard coral was the dominant substrate at 61%, dominated by massive and branching forms followed by rock (including rock with turf algae) at 21%. We recorded an average colony bleaching of 10% during the impact survey but at less than 1% of the population. Target invertebrates were not observed but fish were recorded with 20 butterflyfish the most dominant. We also conducted a CoralWatch survey and an Eye on the Reef Rapid Survey with all data uploaded to the relevant websites. This survey were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro, Gia and Juru People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Alva Beach - Ayr - Beach Clean Up Collaboration On a glorious autumn day, two of our Reef Check team joined the team from Wildlife Surrounds, AUIP (American Universities International Programs Limited) and UT Austin to undertake a beach clean up and AUSMAP sampling at Alva Beach, just east of Ayr, QLD. Following a brief classroom presentation, the team headed out onto the beach and collected an assortment of debris which they catalogued and counted, with all data uploaded to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) database. The students also split into groups and were shown the process for sampling microplastics using the AUSMAP methodology. It was fantastic to receive feedback from the students revealing their new appreciation for the impacts of litter on the marine environment. A big thanks to Wildlife Surrounds for inviting us to be part of this event. This clean up was conducted on the traditional lands of the Birra Gubba People in the Burdekin region. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. To find out more about Reef Check Australia and how you can get involved check out the website, and sign up for our enews letter to stay up to date! Photos provided by Wildlife Surrounds with permission from students and faculty. 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 We are all aware of the bleaching event happening on the GBR. What is being done to save our reef? In Hot Water by Dr Paul E Hardisty   Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Marrus orthocanna Another marine curio related to the Portuguese man o'war. Read now in: Dive Magazine Big Tiger Sharks at Norfolk Island and scientists want to know why (don't they always?) Read now in: National Geographic Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  Sat 13 July | Whale Festival Gold Coast - check out Humpbacks and Highrises on facebook for more details. Sun 21 July | Peaks to Points Family Fun day Rocklea visit https://www.peakstopoints.com.au for more information. Plus there will be lots more coming up soon so remember to follow us on socials. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here   and don't forget our annual reports by region are available on our website! Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2024 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear Friend Winter is officially here and the chill in the air is noticeable. Hopefully this means cooler water temperatures which will give our stressed corals some reprieve, not so great for those of us conducting in-water activities as we layer up the neoprene. Winter often brings calmer conditions and clearer waters so lets keep our fingers crossed. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Dive Deep: Discover your Ocean Footprint News from the Field Books and Podcasts Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Dive Deep: Discover Your Ocean Footprint! June is the perfect time to dive deep into our personal connection to the ocean! With World Environment Day and World Oceans Day just around the corner, Reef Check Australia's "Dive Deep: Discover Your Ocean Footprint" Action of the Month is tailor-made for mindful exploration and impactful action. Deep Dives for Deeper Understanding: By diving deeper with specific calculators and guides that explore your impact on different areas, like plastic use, seafood choices, and carbon footprint, you can pinpoint where to make the most significant ocean-friendly changes. Here are a couple we have found so far. Quizzes: Planet Ark How Big is Your Footprint? Quiz: This Australian-based quiz calculates your ecological footprint and provides personalized tips for reducing your impact. It also emphasizes local environmental issues and solutions. https://wwf.org.au/get-involved/ecological-footprint-calculator/ ABC Splash! Sustainability Quiz: This interactive quiz from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is specifically designed for children and teenagers. It uses fun questions and engaging visuals to educate them about their environmental impact and inspire action. https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/could-you-be-more-green-at-home-sustainability-quiz/12307182 Queensland Government Eco Quiz: This regional quiz focuses on environmental issues relevant to Queensland and provides tips for living sustainably in the state. You can also choose other state-specific quizzes tailored to your target audience. https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/ Calculators: Planet Ark's Home Energy Audit: This comprehensive tool helps users assess their home's energy consumption and identify areas for improvement. It provides personalized recommendations for saving energy and reducing your carbon footprint, which ultimately impacts the ocean. https://planetark.org/programs/planet-ark-power WaterCare Calculator: This calculator estimates your household's water usage and offers tips for conserving water, another crucial aspect of minimizing your overall environmental impact, including on the ocean. https://www.ecobud.com.au/support/hydration-calculator Carbon Neutral by 2050 Emissions Calculator: This Australian government tool allows you to estimate your personal carbon footprint and explore different scenarios for reducing it in line with the country's climate goals. This can help individuals understand their contribution to climate change and its influence on ocean health. https://2050calculator.wixsite.com/2050calculator/calculators Beyond Quizzes and calculators: Taking Action: Share Your Footprint: Once you've discovered your ocean footprint, share it with friends and family on social media! Use the hashtag #DiveDeepForTheOcean to spark conversations and inspire collective action. Advocate for Change: Use your newfound knowledge to advocate for ocean-friendly policies and support organizations like Reef Check Australia working tirelessly to protect our seas. Become an Ocean Champion: Commit to one or two actionable changes, be it reducing single-use plastics, choosing sustainable seafood, or supporting coral restoration projects. Every step counts towards a healthier ocean future. Let's make June a month of exploration, education, and empowered action for our beloved oceans. Dive deep, discover your impact, and join the wave of changemakers dedicated to protecting our shared blue planet! Remember, Reef Check Australia is here to support you on your journey. Visit our website for more resources, educational materials, and opportunities to get involved in ocean conservation efforts. Together, we can make a world of difference for the ocean, one conscious choice at a time. News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about.  Reef Check Australia Makes a Splash at the Australian Coral Reef Symposium! Our team was thrilled to be a part of the recent Australian Coral Reef Symposium (ACRS) held in Perth! We presented two exciting talks based on upcoming research papers utilising valuable data collected by Reef Check Australia volunteers. One presentation focused on coral bleaching trends in Southeast Queensland (SEQ). ☀️ The other explored the power of citizen science over 17 years, analysing reef health data from SEQ. 🪸 The response was fantastic! We connected with attendees from across Australia, all passionate about protecting our coral reefs. It was also a great opportunity to see so many old friends still working in the industry, as well as so many new faces. The ACRS covered a wide range of crucial topics, including threats like crown-of-thorns starfish, innovative technologies, DNA analysis, bleaching impacts, reef resilience, and of course, the power of citizen science. It was inspiring to see such broad representation and enthusiasm for coral reef conservation. Together, we can make a difference! We are always looking for new ways to involve more people, so if you want to know how you can get involved, head on over to www.reefcheckaustralia.org and or follow us on all the socials. Stay tuned for upcoming publications based on the research presented at ACRS! South East Queensland Gold Coast Seaway, Wavebreak Island  - Clean Up Dive Known locally as Wavebreak Island just across from the Gold Coast Seaway, this interesting site is home to a wide array of fish species, as well as being a hotspot for marine debris. Established as a reef health survey location in 2019 by Reef Check Australia in collaboration with Gold Coast City Council, this spot boasts a rocky scree starting at 5m and plunging down to 12m, with a strong current. On the northern side of the wall, the rocky substrate is covered with fishing line. Despite cleaning the area as a part of annual reef surveys in the area, based on the amount of debris that continues to be recorded here, a dedicated clean up dive was organised to actively target marine debris here, as a part of wider clean up Australia day efforts. A total of 3.7kg of debris consisting of fishing line, lures, rope, bits of nets and plastic was removed from this location during the clean up dive. A camp chair, dive mask and glass bottles (adding an addition 3kg to the debris removed) were also removed. A massive shoutout to our amazing team and a heartfelt thank you to Skipper Harry of Gold Coast Dive Adventures for getting us to site, for looking out for us on the surface and for taking care of the boat 🙌🚤 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. Ocean Film Festival - Noosa A team of ambassadors and surveyors from Reef Check Australia (RCA) attended this years ‘Ocean Film Festival World Tour’ held at The J Noosa on Thursday 14th March 2024. The sold-out event featured a unique selection of films of varying lengths and styles covering topics such as ocean adventure and exploration, the oceanic environment, marine creatures, ocean related sports, coastal cultures and ocean lovers. The films were inspiring, compelling, sometimes nail biting (see Ice Maiden – Australian solo-sailor Lisa Blair’s circumnavigation of Antarctica) and championed the Ocean Film Festival World Tour’s vision ‘to inspire you to explore, respect, enjoy, and protect our oceans’. Several research and conservation partners including RCA convened information stalls at the festival. Our ambassadors and surveyors responded to a large amount of interest from attendees wanting to learn more about what we do and how to get involved and keep in touch. We also had a chance to network with other stall holders and share information. Thanks to Sarah and her team of organisers from Ocean Film Festival World Tour for putting on such a valuable event and for inviting RCA to be a part of it. 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.         Green Island, Moreton Bay - Reef Health Survey Moreton Bay is a region adjacent to the city of Brisbane and hosts its port, as well as various other coastal suburbs that encroach onto the bay. Various islands sit within the bay, and are called home to sub-tropical coral reefs, fish, marine megafauna such as dugongs, turtles, and sharks and lots of invertebrates. Reef Check Australia survey divers head to locations within the bay in both summer and winter to monitor the seasonal changes that occur over long periods of time. In late February a team of four surveyors went out into the bay to survey the health of coral reefs and how it’s been faring recently. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Southeast Queensland reefs since 2007, and Green Island since 2017, as part of a partnership with Port of Brisbane to monitor the effects of activities in the Bay. On this day, we surveyed a site off Green Island on the western side dubbed “Green Island West”. A high level of silt and macroalgae (sargassum) meant the site was a challenging dive, with the water column filled with turbidity. Nevertheless, the surveyors endured and completed the bi-annual survey, finding some hard corals blooming, a small stingray, butterfly fish and snapper! Unfortunately, some human impacts were recorded on the site (a discarded fishing net and additional land based trash). Coral bleaching being recorded in all four transects, in high occurrence. The importance of surveying sites like Green Island cannot be underestimated, for the anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems are generally felt by habitats adjacent to urbanised areas such as this one. Collecting this information allows policymakers to make informed evidence-based decisions when attempting conservation governance. Thank you to Go Dive Brisbane for getting us to our reef health monitoring site. We appreciate that many of the sites we visit are not regularly on the tourist circuit, although we believe they should be! Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Danggar (Green Island), 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. This project is supported by the Port of Brisbane as a part of their environmental monitoring program. Great Barrier Reef Rowes Bay Sustainability House Open Day Written by Pearl Wood. 🌿What an incredible day at the Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre Open Day!🌿 Our team was lucky enough to score a spot at the Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre celebrating their open day. Our team of passionate volunteers set up our vibrant market stall for their open day, adorned with educational materials, interactive displays, and a contagious enthusiasm for sustainability. As the event kicked off, we eagerly engaged with visitors of all ages, sparking thought-provoking conversations and igniting a shared passion for environmental stewardship. Throughout the day, we had the pleasure of connecting with a diverse array of individuals, from young eco-warriors to seasoned environmental advocates. It was heartwarming to witness the genuine curiosity and enthusiasm in their eyes as we conversed. But perhaps the most memorable moment came when we had the honour of meeting with the inspiring  Townsville City Council staff representing the towns sustainable achievements. Their unwavering dedication to environmental conservation and support left us in awe, reaffirming our commitment to protecting our precious reefs and oceans. As the day unfolded, our colourful display became a hub of activity, attracting curious minds and sparking meaningful discussions about the importance of reef health. The children, in particular, were captivated by the colourful corals (fake) and fascinating shells we had on display, eagerly asking questions and soaking up knowledge like sponges. But it wasn't just about spreading awareness; it was also about inspiring action. We encouraged visitors to think critically about their daily habits and how they could make a tangible difference in preserving our planet and the different volunteer opportunities we offer. We thank the Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre for hosting such a remarkable event and the individuals who attended that were eager to live a more sustainable life. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi People of the Townsville region. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today. Alma Bay Magnetic Island – Reef Health Surveys  The weather has been proving a challenge for our team this season, but a small group headed over to beautiful Magnetic Island in the hope that conditions would be suitable to survey the reefs that lie within Alma Bay. These reefs are accessible from shore, with the corals occurring on the rock walls on either side of the bay, making this a popular snorkelling and diving spot. The site also hosts the Arcadian Surf Club making it a great area for families. Whilst the visibility was limited it was sufficient to conduct the survey safely. The amount of hard coral detected on transect for both sites has remained consistent with our previous surveys, with less rubble detected. Coral bleaching was detected on both sites, with less than 1% of the population impacted on Site 1 and 2% on Site 2.  Unknown coral damage was the most recorded impact at 5 counts and 11 counts respectively. Target invertebrates were not observed on transect. A big thanks to our amazing team; Rachelle Brown, Jenni Calcraft, Terry Farr, Julie Schubert and our newest member Taylor Hosler, without whom these surveys would not be possible. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program, and the 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. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Manbarra and Bwgcolman people of Palm Island, and the Wulgurukaba and Bindal People of the Townsville and Magnetic Island region. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today.   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 Life on the Reef by Andrey Ryanskiy This awesome book which is available as a pdf, presents the mostly sessile inhabitants of coral reefs. "The reef animals and marine plants considered in the book are grouped into 10 phyla: Corals & allies (Cnidaria), Sea Squirts (Tunicata), Sponges (Porifera), Moss Animals (Bryozoa), Comb Jellies (Ctenophora), Brachiopods, Entoprocts, Foraminiferans, Sea Weeds and Cyanobacteria". A great addition to your marine ID library. . Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Naked Sea Butterflies! Beautiful unusual marine creatures. Read now in: Dive Magazine How deep is the deepest blue hole? Deeper than you think! Read now in: Dive Magazine Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  Fri 31 May - Sun 2 Jun | Pranafest. Tickets are also available just to attend on the weekend. Head to https://events.humanitix.com/pranafest-2024/tickets to get your tickets. Sun 2 June | Townsville Ecofiesta. For more info https://whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au/events/eco-fiesta-2024 Sun 2 June | Logan Eco Action Festival. For more info head to: https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/environment/leaf Sat 8 June | Marine Bioblitz Bowen - stay tuned for more details Sat 13 July | Whale Festival Gold Coast - check out Humpbacks and Highrises on facebook for more details. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here   and don't forget our annual reports by region are available on our website! Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2024 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear Friend The last month has been challenging to put it mildly. Strong winds and rough conditions have seen activities, planned, rescheduled and rescheduled again. We thank our volunteers and trainee surveyors for their patience with our constant reorganising, but safety must come first for all of our activities. Fingers crossed the conditions improve this month and stay that way. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Shine Together, Lets celebrate our volunteers month! News from the Field Books and Podcasts Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Shine Together, Lets celebrate our volunteers month! This May, Reef Check Australia is celebrating the vibrant heartbeat of our organization – our incredible volunteers! National Volunteer Week (May 20-26) shines a spotlight on their passion, dedication, and the priceless impact they make on our ocean. But this month, we're not just celebrating them, we're celebrating everyone who contributes to our ocean's well-being, including YOU! Shine Together: This motto reflects the interconnectedness of our ocean community. Volunteers shine when supported by local partners, and you shine when you participate in our Volunteer Incentive Program, advocate for ocean conservation, or simply appreciate the beauty and importance of our shared seas. Here's how you can Shine Together this May: Volunteer Spotlight: Every week, we'll highlight a dedicated volunteer, sharing their story and the incredible work they do for the ocean. Get inspired by their passion and consider joining our amazing team! Volunteer Incentive Program: Show your appreciation for our volunteers by participating in our exciting program. Nominate a Reef Check Australia volunteer for volunteer of the month, cheer them on (in the field or from home!) and support local businesses that support our volunteers, like PRANAFEST, and spread the word! Know a business who would like to support our volunteers? Get in Touch! Local Partner Shoutout: Let's amplify the voices of organizations who champion volunteer well-being and support ocean conservation efforts. Check out some of our supporters below. Remember, every action, every voice, is a ripple that contributes to a wave of positive change for our ocean. This May, let's Shine Together, celebrating the strength of our community, recognizing each other's worth, and ensuring a brighter future for our beloved seas. Join us, volunteer, participate, and most importantly, shine! Together, we can make a difference!   News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about.  South East Queensland Gold Coast Seaway, South-west wall  - Reef Health Survey This underwater adventure is brought to you by team RCA at the Southwest Wall of the Gold Coast Seaway. Established in 2007 and just South from the popular Pipeline, this site has provided valuable insights into the dynamic marine environment of the Gold Coast. Highlights of this dive for our team during their reef health survey included an abundance of purple nudibranchs, eel-tailed catfish, some tropical rock lobster and some large sweetlips! Plus, catching up with the Reef Check Australia team members spanning across SEQ and the GBR highlights the dedication of our volunteers. An increase in silt was recorded across the entire transect, a decrease in nutrient indicator algae, and increase in the number of tunicates. One drupella snail was spotted, three lobsters, and several pieces of debris, leading to the team conducting a clean up to remove over pieces of trash from underwater, and several handfuls of trash from the beach and park area as they got ready. A great opportunity to remember to pick up debris whenever safe to do so; even if it isn’t yours, and dispose of it correctly. A massive shoutout to our amazing team and a heartfelt thank you to the team at Aqua Adventures for supplying tanks. It requires all hands on deck to make events possible, so thankyou to everyone who helped plan and survey. 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, The Caves - Reef Health Survey After months of watching the weather, planning and replanning due to high seas, high winds and average conditions, the Reef Check Australia team finally managed to get up to Noosa to complete their final reef health monitoring for the region. The beautiful day provided a small refuge of sun between the rain that has kept the entire south east QLD coast green and humid over the past few months, so we were excited to check out how the reefs in Noosa had faired. The surface ocean temperature was 30 degrees Celsius when we jumped in this month; extremely warm for this time of year and this region. Around the world, the Earth’s oceans are having their warmest start to a year on record as El Niño and climate change combine to produce unrivalled January-February sea surface temperatures. Last year was the warmest year on record for Earth’s global oceans, with sea surface temperatures running at record high levels from mid-March until the end of the year. This unprecedented global ocean heat was caused in part by the warming effects of climate change and El Niño. What does this mean for local reefs? Our Noosa Caves site was set up in 2019 to gain a better understanding of reef health within the Noosa region as a part of our long-term monitoring plan in the region. This site sits at 12-13m deep, and consists of a very undulating, uneven reef structure, allowing plenty of habitat for animals and corals etc alike. Despite lowered visibility and very green conditions, the site itself was teaming with hard and soft coral, sponges and fish. Two lobsters and 15 Drupella snails were recorded, Several large Drupella scars were seen; with the majority affecting foliose hard corals. Eight unknown scars were recorded, with each replicant having several bleached corals, with individuals bleached from 20-100%. The population level bleaching was much lower (1-3%). Butterflyfish and one wobbegong were the only target fish recorded on the transect. Thank you to Blue Tortuga Adventures for getting us to site. These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by Noosa Council. Mud Island, Moreton Bay - Reef Health Survey Moreton Bay is a water body situated right next to Brisbane, one of Australia’s largest cities hosting a population of over 2 million people. Situated in the bay are various coral reefs, monitoring them over long periods of time allows us to understand how urbanisation affects marine ecosystems that are adjacent to large urban regions to measure just how humans impact the world underwater. On a sun-filled summers day, various Reef Check Australia team leaders and survey divers headed out into the bay to perform coral reef surveys. Reef Check Australia has been monitoring Southeast Queensland reefs since 2007, and Mud Island since 2017, as part of a partnership with Port of Brisbane to monitor the effects of activities in the Bay. Today, we surveyed site situated along Mud Island called Coral Galore. Although the weather was wonderful above water, large amounts of turbidity underwater make working conditions less than ideal. A large amount of silt and sargassum seaweed covered the site, however there was no shortage of life with the coral reefs still blossoming with invertebrates and other animals hiding in the substrates. Several Drupella snails and coral bleaching were recorded at the site, which are threats towards our marine ecosystems. During our dive underwater, although the region has seen lots of rain recently the team recorded a water temperature of 29⁰C, which is exceptionally high; the highest recorded on any Reef Check Australia survey in Southeast Qld to date. Unfortunately, this is a sign of a marine heatwave, and bays such as Moreton are extremely susceptible to these events due to small amounts of oceanographic currents pushing water around the region and shallow waters allowing the sun to heat bodies of water up rapidly. Marine heatwaves can bring about devastating effects for the ecosystems they affect, so monitoring sites like Mud Island over long periods of time helps us understand how these potentially catastrophic events affect biodiversity. We look forward to heading out again in a few months to continue monitoring any changes that might occur as a part of this long term monitoring program. Thank you to Go Dive Brisbane for getting us to our reef health monitoring site. We appreciate that many of the sites we visit are not regularly on the tourist circuit, although we believe they should be! Reef Check Acknowledge the Quandamooka people of Bangamba (Mud island), 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. This project is supported by the Port of Brisbane as a part of their environmental monitoring program. Envirotech Talk - Discussion on coral restoration and citizen science Our General Manager, Jodi Salmond, joined students from Envirotech on the Gold Coast this month to share her passion as a marine scientist working in the region. She shared updates on Reef Check Australia, reef health within the Gold Coast, and the simple ways that everyone can get involved in supporting reef health; above and below the surface. Reef Check Australia works hard to communicate what we do as citizen scientists to the wider community, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to chat with the Envirotech students as they learn about reef monitoring techniques, reef restoration, and  about how best to communicate, engage and empower their peers to better understand, appreciate and protect our local marine resources. We run semi regular Reef Ambassador training courses, which is designed to train community outreach volunteers to actively inspire, motivate and support their communities through the potential power of the right blend of science, optimism and concrete action that can empower passionate community members to support reef resilience in their local area. Through this strategic, science-based and collaborative outreach network, we seek to build a network of passionate and informed community members, helping to translate our citizen science findings into meaningful action. Sound like something you might be interested in?. Make sure to head on over to https://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/reef_ambassadors to find out more, and to sign up for the next course! Reef Check Acknowledge the Yugambeh people 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. Reef Check Australia activities in this region have received funding support from The City of Gold Coast's Catchment and Citizen Science Grants Program.   Great Barrier Reef Grays Bay Bowen - Snorkel Clean Up This site was identified as a hot spot for fishing debris during our Reef Health Surveys. The persistent strong winds have kept visibility low, but a small team of enthusiastic volunteers jumped in 2 hours before low tide which gave enough water depth and visibility to clean up some of the debris on snorkel. We quickly set to work carefully removing the fishing line and associated hooks and sinkers, taking care not to damage the coral. There was a significant amount of line that had been in place for a very long time and coral had grown over it, so these pieces were left in place. We collected over 50m of monofilament line, over 50m of braid line, 5 plastic lures, 3 metal lures, hooks, sinkers, aluminium cans and a complete mask and snorkel (beyond saving unfortunately). This site will continue to be monitored and additional clean-ups on scuba may be necessary to remove further debris not accessible on snorkel. This clean up was conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro, Gia and Juru People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. 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 Voice of the Sea by John Williamson A book for the young ocean conservationists. Apparently there is also a song of the same name also written by John Williamson so check it out. Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean Looks like an alien! New species of sea slug discovered in UK waters Read now in: BBC 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.  Sat 11 May | Rowes Bay (Townsville) Sustainability Centre Open Day, 9am to 1pm More Info. Come say Hi to our team. Tue 14 May | Coast to Coral - Saving Sawfish with Nikki Biskis. Register on our website to get your login. Sun 2 June | Townsville Ecofiesta. For more info https://whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au/events/eco-fiesta-2024 Sun 2 June | Logan Eco Action Festival. For more info head to: https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/environment/leaf Sat 8 June | Marine Bioblitz Whitsundays - stay tuned for more details If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear Friend The year is flying by and it is school holidays again with many families out and about camping, visiting our beaches and waterways or exploring new areas. We urge everyone to remember that they visit our amazing natural environment due to the aesthetic appeal of these areas, so please cause no harm to the environment, pick up rubbish (even if it is not yours) and dispose of all rubbish in the appropriate facilities. As the saying goes: "Leave only footprints, take only photos (and rubbish)"! This months email includes: Action of the Month: Connected Conservation: Celebrate Earth Day and Contribute to Ocean Knowledge! News from the Field Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Connected Conservation: Celebrate Earth Day and Contribute to Ocean Knowledge! Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash April whispers promise of renewal, and this year, Reef Check Australia invites you to celebrate Earth Day (April 22nd) with an adventurous twist – "Connected Conservation: Dive into Ocean Knowledge!" It's time to break down the walls between land and sea, understanding how our actions on earth ripple through the ocean's heart. Be a Land to Sea Steward: Earth Day isn't just about planting trees! Join a beach cleanup and witness firsthand how land-based pollution reaches our precious reefs. Organize a community garden near the coast, nurturing both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Choose sustainable seafood that supports healthy fish populations and protects ocean biodiversity. Every action, from your backyard to the beach, becomes a ripple of positive change. Become a Citizen Science Champion: This Earth Day, become a hero for the ocean by joining Reef Check Australia's citizen science programs. Learn simple yet impactful ways to monitor coral reef health, track marine debris, or identify fish species. Your data becomes vital ocean knowledge, informing conservation efforts and shaping a brighter future for our seas. Gather friends and family for a citizen science outing, transforming curiosity into collective action. Share the Ocean's Wisdom: Spread the love for the ocean and the power of connected conservation. Share your citizen science stories on social media using #ConnectedConservation and @reefcheckaustralia We want to know what you have been up to! Attend educational workshops about our interconnected ecosystems, sparking awe and understanding in your community. Read books, watch movies and share what you have learnt with those around you. Let's turn Earth Day into a month-long wave of knowledge, action, and celebration for the ocean that binds us all. This April, let's go beyond Earth Day's traditional boundaries and embrace the ocean as an integral part of our planet's health. By understanding the connections, taking action, and sharing knowledge, we can turn the tide towards a thriving ocean and a sustainable future for all. Join Reef Check Australia, become a Connected Conservation champion, and dive into the ocean of possibilities!   News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about.  South East Queensland Hancocks Shoal - Reef Health Survey After months of watching the weather, planning and replanning due to high seas, high winds and average conditions, the Reef Check Australia team finally managed to find a small pocket of reprieve and took the opportunity to visit a site they haven’t managed to get to for a few years; Hancock Shoal. This shallow reef sits at about 9m deep, off the coast of Coolum (out from Stumers Creek) and was monitored in 2009, and had not been visited since due to its location. We were excited to be able to have the opportunity to check out this site and all it had to offer! The surface ocean temperature was warm; warmer than we have previously recorded on the Sunshine Coast. Around the world, the Earth’s oceans are having their warmest start to a year on record as El Niño and climate change combine to produce unrivalled January-February sea surface temperatures. Last year was the warmest year on record for Earth’s global oceans, with sea surface temperatures running at record high levels from mid-March until the end of the year. This unprecedented global ocean heat was caused in part by the warming effects of climate change and El Niño. What does this mean for local reefs? For Hancock Shoal; read on. This site is an interesting site; similar in many ways to much of the patchy reef that makes up the wider Sunshine Coast reef areas. A mix of hard and soft corals, rocky substrate and small gulleys, offering ample habitats for all types of fish and invertebrates. Being so far away from large river mouths also allowed for clearer water, a lovely surprise! It has been a while since we were able to survey this site, however it is nice to know that the coral population has been thriving. Hard and soft coral populations have increased, as well as sponges. A small amount of bleaching was recorded, with just one percent of the overall population being bleached; although individual corals were bleached completely. Drupella snails (a coral eating snail) and Drupella scars were recorded, some fishing line and a few unknown scars. Two anemones were the only other invertebrates recorded on the transect. Butterfly fish, sweetlip, snapper and a moray eel were recorded on the fish survey. Thank you to Blue Tortuga Adventures for getting us to site. These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by the Sunshine Coast Councils Environment Levy Partnerships Grant. Wavebreak Island - Reef Health Survey Known locally as Wavebreak Island just across from the Gold Coast Seaway, what a surprising gem of a site! Established in 2019 by Reef Check Australia in collaboration with Gold Coast City Council, this spot boasts a rocky scree starting at 5m and plunging down to 12m. We were expecting another routine survey dive, but oh, the wonders that awaited! We encountered a bustling ecosystem teeming with life. From barracudas to elusive moray eels and even a daring stonefish or two (ouch!), each section of our transect revealed a new surprise. A school of almost 20 butterfly fish came to check our team out and who could forget the majestic lion's mane jellyfish gracefully drifting by? Our encounter with a little rock lobster added a pinch of excitement to the dive but not as much excitement as the encrusting sponge between the rock, rubble sand and algae. A few Drupella snails were recorded, along with plenty of debris, however no other target invertebrates or impacts were recorded. Massive shoutout to our amazing team and a heartfelt thank you to Skipper Harry of Gold Coast Dive Adventures for getting us to site, for looking out for us on the surface and for taking care of the boat 🙌🚤 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. Gold Coast Seaway - Reef Health Survey Today’s survey expedition took us to our site at Gold Coast Seaway Pipeline established in 2015 by Reef Check Australia after initially conducting a clean-up dive and discovering the diversity of organisms and substrates at this site, and the potential for change over time. Exposed daily to heavy boat traffic and very popular with local snorkellers, fishers and divers alike, this site faces unique challenges from anthropogenic activities. Our team were treated to lovely clear conditions giving them the best chance of documenting reef health and local impacts. This year we observed a similar abundance of target fish species, in particular butterflyfish and snapper compared to previous years and increased snapper.  We also saw three moray eels, and some very large stonefish along the transect. This site has a lot to offer and whilst we didn’t see any banded coral shrimp, lobster or collector urchins near our transect line this year, we did document a few drupella snails; a small coral eating snail; on rocks and other substrate. Shoutout to our rock-solid dive team and legendary surface watch for making today both safe, and a real treat! Thank you to Aqua Adventures for hiring us tanks, and to all our amazing volunteers who volunteered their time to help out. Your assistance is much appreciated as always. 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. Clean Up Australia Day - Stradbroke Island Reef Check Australia volunteers from the SEQ region joined Clean Up Straddie Day (CUSD) as part of Clean Up Australia Day (CUAD) 2024. We joined forces with the Marine Society UQ students and cleaned up South Gorge and Main Beach on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island. Our team collected over 4 kg of litter and found an overwhelming amount of microplastics around the South Gorge area. It would seem that plastics are being retained on the South Gorge beach which could cause harm to native fauna as well as continue to pollute the ocean. We encourage anyone visiting this area to be mindful of their waste disposal and support efforts to keep our beaches clean. Keep an eye out for future cleanups in the area to work towards a cleaner, healthier, and more pristine environment for us all to enjoy! Thank you to the Stradbroke Brewing Co. for facilitating the CUSD event, and all the other partners who participated in the cleanup. We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians and Elders of the land and their continued cultural and spiritual practices. This project is supported by the Port of Brisbane as a part of their environmental monitoring program.   Great Barrier Reef John Brewer Reef - Reef Health Survey Finally getting a break in the weather our small team jumped onboard Adrenalin Dive and headed out to John Brewer Reef. This reef is approximately 70km offshore and is the location of the Museum of Underwater Art, but our survey sites are located on the reef on the northern side of the structures. The day started out rainy and stayed that way, but at least the seas were calm which made for a comfortable and speedy trip to site. Our team completed Reef Check Australia Reef Health Surveys on two sites. Site 1 is located at around 6m deep and follows the reef wall to the ocean side. Site 1 sits on top of the reef and depending on the tide can be between 0.5m to 3m deep. Whilst there was plenty of very healthy coral and lots of fish were observed, the reef has sustained a fair amount of damage from Cyclone Kirrily. Significant amounts of damage and bleaching were observed but we also recorded a couple of giant clams, observed anemones with fish and a school of squid and a number of nudibranchs (much to the delight of the team). Thanks to Adrenalin Dive and their crew for getting us to site. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the 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    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 Marine Plants of Australia by John M Huisman We love this book for helping to identify algae that we encounter within our marine environment. This revised edition released in 2023 includes 640 species of underwater plant life. Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean When is a jellyfish not a jellyfish? When it's a sea cucumber Read now in: Dive Magazine What was Jodi doing in Antarctica? Find out in this interview with ABC News. Places in this amazing program are still available so check out Homeward Bound. Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  4 Apr | Ambassador Training Starts - We still have spaces available so get in contact ASAP if you would like to join. Want to become a Reef Check Australia ambassador? Head to our website for more information and to register. 10-12 Apr | Ocean Film Festival Brisbane - come say hi to our team at our stall on 10 & 11 April. Tickets at Ocean Film Festival 14 Apr | Land based Clean Up Waites Bay Whitsundays - spots are limited. Contact [email protected] if you are interested in helping out. 20 Apr | Snorkel Clean Up Grays Bay Bowen - spots are limited and date subject to weather/water conditions. Contact [email protected] if you are interested in helping out. 21 Apr | Underwater and Land Based Clean Up Alma Bay - Magnetic Island. spots are limited and date subject to weather/water conditions. Contact  [email protected] if you are interested in helping out. 30 Apr | Coast to Corals talk - stay tuned for more information If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia PO Box 782, Mooloolaba, QLD, 4557Australia

Dear Friend Wow it's autumn already and we are still having mild heatwaves and strange rainfall patterns. Our teams have been out and about doing surveys and clean ups plus we bring you some more of our activities from the end of last year. We would also like to welcome our new trainee surveyors from across Qld who are part way through their training. We look forward to having them on our surveys once they finish. This months email includes: Action of the Month: Autumnal Awakening: Clean Up Your World with Reef Check Australia!  News from the Field Current Coral Affairs Get With the Program Autumnal Awakening: Clean Up Your World with Reef Check Australia! Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash As the warm autumn air paints the landscape in fiery hues, it's time to shed the summer's languor and embrace a season of renewal. This March, Reef Check Australia invites you to embark on an "Autumnal Awakening: Clean Up Your World" mission, a chance to declutter not just your home, but also your mind, your community, and most importantly, our precious ocean. 1.De-stress and Reconnect: Autumn mornings still offer plenty of sunlight, making early morning walks along the coastline, and ocean dips the perfect start to the day. Listen to the waves crash, the pandanus and or gum treees whisper, and take a deep breath with them. March is full of opportunity. Why not connect or reconnect with your RCA team! Join a reef health survey, or a rockpool ramble. Dive into the vibrant coral world, and let the rhythm of the ocean lull your worries away. By calming your mind and nurturing your spirit, you'll radiate positive energy that ripples outward, enriching both yourself and the environment. 2.Spruce Up Your Backyard Paradise: Summer rain and winds have left their remnants for us all to see. Autumn winds offer us the perfect excuse for a garden clean-up. Organize a local creek clean-up, or join in one of ours; Clean Up Australia events are held around the country this March 3rd. Volunteer to take part in our coral restoration project, pick up rubbish on your next walk, or simply pull invasive weeds from your own backyard. Every native shrub planted, every piece of plastic removed, is a victory for the creatures who call our land and sea home. Remember, a clean environment is a healthy and thriving paradise for everyone. 3.Champion a Vibrant Ocean Future: Just like leaves falling to nourish the earth, our voices have the power to nurture a cleaner ocean. Spread awareness about marine pollution, support sustainable seafood initiatives, and urge your local council to champion ocean health policies. Remember, even small actions, like using reusable coffee cups and choosing recycled paper, add up to a powerful tide protecting our beloved ocean. This March, let's embrace the spirit of autumnal change and clean up not just our surroundings, but also our minds and hearts. Together, with Reef Check Australia as your guide, we can create a cleaner, healthier, and more vibrant world for ourselves and for the ocean we love. So, join us, take action, and let's make this autumn a season of positive change, one autumn leaf at a time!   News from the field Stories and updates from our teams out & about.  South East Queensland Clean Up for Hatchlings Snorkel. On a cloudy, rainy Saturday morning, several keen Reef Check Australia ambassadors and volunteers gathered at La Balsa Park, Buddina. This special occasion was to mark the 10th anniversary of an event co-founded by Reef Check Australia, Sunshine Coast Council, and Sea Life Aquarium called Clean Up 4 the Hatchlings (CU4TH). The purpose of this event is to ensure the beaches we share with critically endangered nesting loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are free of plastic and other anthropogenic items left by humans. Each year the program has slowly grown into a bigger and better event, with this year hosting its underwater cleanup on January the 13th by the Mooloolah River. Several Reef Check Australia team leaders as well as the wonderful team over at 10 little pieces collaboratively led an avid and keen volunteer group of snorkellers on a joyous underwater adventure in an attempt to clean the popular park and river from marine debris deposited by beach and parkgoers as well as marine debris washed in from the ocean. We had to navigate through bouts of rain and wind to rid the popular park and river of marine debris, including tangled fishing lines, plastic bags, bottles, and cans, totalling 149 items weighing 3.5kg. The underwater cleanup proved not only an environmental mission but also an educational one. As we worked, we engaged with local beach and parkgoers, seizing the opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of plastic waste and the importance of environmental stewardship. This dialogue is a crucial element of our mission, highlighting individual responsibility and the collective power we have in safeguarding our marine ecosystems. Wrapping up the day, our volunteers, some of whom alternated between snorkelling and land-based efforts, left with a sense of accomplishment and a deeper understanding of the marine environment. Our actions at La Balsa Park are a part of a larger campaign, with more cleanups across Noosa and Sunshine Coast areas in February as a part of the land based CU4TH event. At Reef Check Australia, we remain dedicated to fostering a community actively engaged in preserving our coastal ecosystems, continually working towards a sustainable and vibrant marine future. Remember, every little bit counts.  If you see rubbish on the beach; pick it up.  Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference. Reef Check Acknowledges the Kabi Kabi peoples of the Sunshine Coast, the 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 Sunshine Coast Council’s Environment Levy Partnerships Grant. Little Halls Reef - Noosa Reef Health Survey Spotting a break in the weather, the Reef Check Australia team headed to Noosa last October to check out Little Halls Reef.  Little Halls is a shallow reef (12-15m) popular with local fisherman. It is a small narrow ridge consisting of a coffee rock base with encrusting corals, soft corals, sponges and ascidians making up the majority of the vertical benthos. Site was was set in 2011, with Site 2 set up in 2019 as a part of an extension of reef health monitoring in the region.  Coffee rock is a unique formation that can be found along Queensland's coastline, where coastal processes meet fluctuating sea levels, lies a unique formation called coffee rock. This soft, dark brown rock is essentially hardened sand, bonded by organic matter from decaying plants. Its story starts with humic acids leaching through sandy soils, encountering aluminium-rich groundwater, and solidifying into a distinct layer beneath the surface. Interesting, right! Sponges and Ascidians with a very small portion of hard and soft corals made up the benthos amongst rock, sand and nutrient indicator algae. Three anchors were found at Site 1 with four anchors found at site 2. Drupella snails (34 & 72 respectively) and pencil urchins were the only invertebrates recorded. Drupella are coral eating snails, however at this location, none of the snails were found on live coral. Coral Trout, Snapper, Butterflyfish and Sweetlips were also found at this location. Thank you to Blue Tortuga Adventures for getting us to site and making sure all activities are safe. A massive thank you to all of our surveyors and coordinators behind the scenes that make these surveys happen! These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! 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. This project is supported by the Noosa Shire Council Jew Shoal Noosa Reef Health Survey The Pinnacles Site 1 was set up as a long term monitoring site in 2009, with Site 2 added in 2013. The site sits at approximately 9-12m with the top of the reef at 4-5m. Jew Shoal is located in Noosa’s Laguna Bay. The site itself is a large area made up of canyons, ridges and bommies, with two main features; the pinnacles. The gutters and rocky substrate is covered in colourful hard and soft corals.  This site was last monitored in 2019. The site is dominated by encrusting hard coral, soft coral, rock, sponge and ascidians. Anemones, long spined sea urchins, pencil urchins and Drupella snails were recorded during the invertebrate surveys. Seventeen pieces of fishing debris was recorded and removed from site 1. A small amount of bleaching was recorded, however only one percent of the population was impacted overall. Butterflyfish, snapper and sweetlip were spotted along the transect. Thank you to Blue Tortuga Adventures for getting us to site. These vital reef health surveys are not possible without our amazing volunteers, so thankyou for all that you do! Reef Check Acknowledge the Kabi Kabi people of the Sunshine 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 is supported by Noosa Council. Great Barrier Reef Magnetic Island Geoffrey Bay Reef Health Survey In early November a small team from Townsville headed to Magnetic Island for our annual reef health surveys. In Geoffrey Bay, we have two survey sites along the snorkel trail, these sites are some of our newer ones being established in 2016. Geoffrey Bay is the location where coral spawning was first discovered back in 1981, and our surveys this year followed immediately after the annual spawning event here. Coral cover at this site had been consistently high over the 8-year period it has been surveyed with approximately 65% hard coral cover observed this year, and minimal coral bleaching. Some coral scars (cause unknown) and coral damage (likely caused by human impact as there has been a lot of snorkeller and diver activity at this site over the coral spawning period) were recorded along the transects. The team also had the pleasure of seeing an epaulette shark along the transect, a common reef shark species found around Magnetic Island! A special thanks to our surveyors Joan and Rachelle and surface watch Aabha for making this trip possible, and being available at short notice to make the most of the decent conditions whilst they last! Also thank you to Pleasure Divers for tank hire, allowing us to complete these surveys. This project is made possible through support from Townsville City Council through their Creek to Coral program, the 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, and Reef Ecologic. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on where these activities take place, the Manbarra and Bwgcolman people of Palm Island, and the Wulgurukaba and Bindal People of the Townsville and Magnetic Island region. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in our community today.    Whitsundays, Hook Island Clean Up Our small team took advantage of some nice weather and conducted an underwater clean up dive in Luncheon Bay at Hook Island in October. The corals were noted to be very healthy and, as on previous occasions, no debris was observed during our one-hour search (which is good news for the reef).  We opted to defer the land based clean up and waited until we had experienced an extended period of strong North and North-easterly winds. This site on Hook Island faces North and was therefore more likely to be impacted by marine debris following these winds. The beach is composed of coral rubble of various sizes and the beach front is currently a very steep grade into the water. Our team scoured the beach and adjoining bushland and were happy to report very low litter loads again. The rough nature of the beach does provide the opportunity for smaller items of debris to travel down between the rubble pieces and out of sight, but our items did include 18 pieces of hard plastic, 2 bottle tops and 2 pieces of polystyrene. Our most interesting finds were a pair of sunglasses (minus the arms) and a section of metal boat propellor. Thanks to John at Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for getting us to site. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is supported by Tangaroa Blue through ReefClean; a project funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.  ReefClean is a project to remove and reduce marine debris impacting the Great Barrier Reef. Bowen Grays Bay Reef Health Survey With the GM from SEQ in town, we jumped in at Grays Bay in Bowen to conduct our inaugural Reef Check Australia reef health survey at this site. This site faces north and contains a narrow reef that starts close to the shore line and heads north where it gradually widens and the variety of coral increases.  This site was chosen based on it’s popularity with snorkellers and fishers when strong south easterlies impact Horseshoe Bay and Rose Bay. This site is not subject to currents and as such tends to have a layer of silt and poor visibility most of the time. Luckily as the reef is shallow, we can survey it on snorkel at low tide. Hard coral was the dominant substrate at 33%, followed by silt at 17%. We also recorded 6% bleached coral on the point intersect substrate survey. During our impact survey we recorded bleaching on 10% of the population in the survey area, along with 14 incidents of coral damage. Target invertebrates were not observed but fish were recorded with snapper and butterflyfish the most dominant. We returned in February to complete a CoralWatch and Eye on the Reef Rapid survey and noted that the amount of damaged coral appeared to have increased along with bleaching. However the bleaching only affected a few species of coral and we observed completely bleached corals right next to healthy corals. Also of note, the small coral recruits close to shore appeared to be healthy and did not show signs of bleaching. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro, Gia and Juru People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging. This project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government's Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.   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 Whale with Steve Backshall Streaming on ABC iview, Steve takes an interesting look at different whale and dolphin species around the globe, how they interact and feed and some of the pressures they face. Watch on ABC iview Current Coral Affairs Check out some of the latest news and research about our ocean How anglerfish lure their prey!They use a fishing rod! Read now in: Australian Geographic First ever recorded sighting of baby Great White shark A baby newborn great white shark has been filmed off Southern California. Read more: Dive Magazine   Get with the Program Here's what we've got coming up in the next few weeks, keep checking the website for more updates.  3 Mar | Clean Up Australia Day Coral Sea Marina Airlie Beach  Join in the clean up at Airlie Beach from 8.30 to 10.30 head over to  Coral Sea Marina for more info . 3 Mar | Clean Up Australia Day Stradbroke Island Cleanups and registration points at Point Lookout, Dunwich and Amity Point Head over to Straddie Brewing Co for more information 4 Apr | Ambassador Training Starts Want to become a Reef Check Australia ambassador? Head to our website for more information and to register. If you missed any of our Coast to Coral online events, remember you can always catch-up by taking a look at our YouTube Channel here     Thanks for reading! If you want to help our work to empower more people to protect Australian reefs, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible donation.    Make a Donation   Copyright © 2023 Reef Check Australia, All rights reserved.You have received this newsletter because you have given Reef Check Australia your email address. If you would prefer not to receive any further emails, please click the unsubscribe link in your email.Our mailing address is: Reef Check Australia