Sad Sights At Pulau Satumu.....

last week, BWV ReefFriends conducted the latest reef survey at Pulau Satumu/Raffles Lighthouse. Last year, we had to abort the survey due to bad weather and strong currents. This time round, we were blessed with good weather and slightly better current situation!

However, sad sights await us when we started to record our data at the deeper end. Coral bleaching is still ongoing for some corals while others seen to have make a recovery.









Similar to the situation at Pulau Semakau, the Ringed plate corals (Pachyseris sp.) seen to be the worst hit among the bleaching corals.





Another sad sight would be that we noticed that there seen to be lot more coral rubble, broken coral fragments and overturned coral heads! What had happened? Did a boat run aground the reef? Sigh.....



On a slightly happy note, we came across this Anemone. Dr Daphne, a world authority on Sea Anemones, had kindly identified it as the Merten's Carpet Sea Anemone(Stichodactyla mertensii). And this Sea Anemone is likely a new record for Singapore! :o)

Did not take many photo as was busy doing the benthic recordings. Thus, these are the other stuffs that I came across;


A Carpet Eel Blenny hiding under a coral.


So is this Cushion Star!


Lots of Crinoid/Featherstar!




And the only nudibranch sighted are these phyllid nudibranch.