Luckily, the road closures to Marina South ceased by early afternoon, but the hordes of people at the jetty meant that getting our reef walkers organised to board the ferry was messier than normal. It didn’t help that the ferry operator provided us with a 80-seater ferry when we had 90 people. It was a good thing that the “extra” people could hop on board a second ferry, also headed for Kusu.

The horde (not all of whom were reefwalkers).

Reefwalkers boarding the ferry.

A second ferry to Kusu? you might ask. Apparently, there was to be a traditional performance at the temple on Kusu that very night (Monkey and Duck were in attendance there, although duck wanted to go on the reef walk instead) – hence the horde of people at the jetty.

The confusion of the ferry operators continued, when they informed us, upon arriving at Kusu, that our ferry would leave at 9.30pm, instead of 8.30pm as we had originally planned. We wondered about this, since the ferries that brought us here didn’t go anywhere after they dropped us off, and were tied at the Kusu jetty. I suppose there must have been some cosmic reason for the later departure that mere mortals like us would not be able to fathom.

In any case, with the extra time on our hands, we could then take our time for the walk, and I must say, it was quite a walk. Two groups headed off to the south lagoon, while the other 6 went to the north. The south lagoon, as most of you might know is a bit smaller than the northern one, and muddier, but there was no lack of critters to see.

An octopus-in-a-bag.

And a cuttlefish.

An upside down jellyfish (this is normal behaviour – the tentacles are held up to feed off plankton).

The group I was guiding asked if I could bring them to the northern lagoon, which I agreed to. Apparently other groups had the same idea – as my group was leaving the south lagoon, another group was crossing over from the north.

There were some interesting things to see at the north lagoon as well, despite the fast rising tide.

An anemone, paralysing the tiny fish startled into range of its tentacles by our footsteps. And in the same anemone ….

… An anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) trying to hide in its tentacles.

And further up the lagoon, a dead/dying ghost crab that, upon closer inspection, had a cracked carapace.

This raised an interesting discourse on the impact of our walks on the lagoon – from watching where you step, to minimising the impact by spreading out the groups, and even to the length of time between walks. It also allowed us to get a few photographs of an otherwise elusive creature.

The walk finally ended at about 1030pm, when we waved good-bye to the tired, but hopefully happy, participants at the jetty.

We’ve been having some trouble with our website and emails lately. The website issues have mostly been resolved, thanks to our web magician Jacki, but email is still a bit cranky. Some of your emails to the “.bluewatervolunteers.org” email accounts might not get through, so, alternative email accounts to write to are:

Reef Walk: reefwalk@gmail.com
Reef Friends: reeffriends@gmail.com

I’ll post again when our problems are all sorted out.

Cheers, Jeff

YJ showing a family the ever-popular common seastars. You look like a pro girl.
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Howard with his group of wide-eyed reefwalkers.
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XL doing her stuff.
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Hmm.. wonder what Abby’s showing with her fingers… perhaps she was showing how your booties can go through the venomous dorsal spines of a certain very grumpy looking fish. a fish that looks like this…?

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It’s MS’s fave bud.. Mr Stonefish.. again!

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“The venom hurts so much that some people who’ve been stung have wanted the limb amputated. It can cause shock, paralysis, tissue death, and even fatalities if not treated within a few hours. The stonefish has at least one beneficial use. It’s a very expensive sashimi called okoze in Japan.” - Environmental Graffiti

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Then I have to mention this waaay cute baby butterflyfish spotted by one of the TPJC students. It was about as big as a 10 cent coin! sharp-eyes! Good chance to mention the false eye-spot at the tail end and how its true eye is always within a coloured stripe. Also how butterflies are good reef health indicators as they are coral polyp eaters.

“For those species of butterflyfish which are obligate corallivores, a decline in the health of a reef, manifested by decreasing food quality of the stressed coral polyps, will result in a decrease in the abundance and diversity of these species and an increase in territory size, feeding rate and agonistic encounters as mated pairs attempt to maintain their nutritional intake by expanding their territories to include more coral colonies” - coral reef indicators website

Thanks to MS for the photos.

Till the next reefwalk. Cheers.

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/the-return-of-mr-stonefish/feed/ 4 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/seasons-greetings-to-all/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/seasons-greetings-to-all/#comments Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:25:52 +0000 reefwalk http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/seasons-greetings-to-all/

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/seasons-greetings-to-all/feed/ 0 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/last-reefwalk-for-2007-sobz/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/last-reefwalk-for-2007-sobz/#comments Sun, 28 Oct 2007 10:36:35 +0000 juanicths http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/last-reefwalk-for-2007-sobz/ Yesterday we had our very last public walk of the year. I know that there are still many people who are interested in coming for our walks but we are a bit overdue for some training of new guides. Do bear with us and stay tune for the dates of next year’s walk! In the meantime, do sign up with us if you are interested in joining our team of guides in introducing Kusu’s intertidal life to others!

Prior to any intertidal walk, guides would need to give a safety briefing to the participants. We do want to keep everybody safe while enjoying Singapore’s natural environment.

Followed by a quick introduction to the beach and lagoon as the tide goes out

In the meantime, our seekers (Abby and MS) have already been sent down with our little tags and containers to help the guides in finding things to introduce to their groups. And yes, we collected back all our little tools of the trade as the tide came in.

Onward to where all the action is! To the intertidal area!

Here is where our team of guides where in their element. Talking about the wildlife found here. From all the little shrimps and crabs, to sea stars and sea cucumbers, to corals and sponges, and even snails!

“Uncle Daniel” telling the children about the common seastar

Look at the field of seastars!!! All preparing to mass produce many more little seastar babies. Can you spot the non-5-armed seastars?

Another member of the echinoderms (“spiny-skin”), the bumpy black sea cucumber. Looks rather different from the common seastar but they are still related all the same, on account of their texture and radial symmetry amongst other things. This individual was quite stressed for some reason as can be seem from these sticky white threads that were spewed out…

examples of shrimps that we frequently (and very easily encounter) on Kusu’s shores

mantis shrimp. one of the more difficult-to-spot-difficult-to-trap shrimps. this particular individual was rather curious as it still popped out of it’s hidey-hole after a failed attempt at getting it out for people to admire. even posed nicely despite me literally shoving my camera in its face for a macro shot. not all mantis shrimps are so drab looking. the ones deeper down in the sea are actually very colorful!

we get to see anemone shrimp on almost all the walks but this is the first time I got to see a pair of them on the same anemone! like many marine animals, the larger one is actually the female, and she does look like she’s carrying eggs too! the male is a little more difficult to spot since it is smaller and the white and purple bands are far less distinctive.

there seems to be quite a bit of excitement at this “3-tag station”

and it’s mr stonefish again!! (this time minus the super-enthu participant) judging from the size and the only-mother-can-love face, we suspect that it’s the same fella we saw met last month. Also mentioned here. Another reason why we think it’s the same one: It made some movement/noise as MS was going past it, resulted in it being spotted. Perhaps it was giving a *snort* of recognition at MS our BWV shirt? It was still a brilliant example to go with the take-home-message of being having proper footwear when exploring nature areas

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Of course, ReefWalk is not just about bringing people around on a intertidal eco-tour. It’s also about the group of wacky people who all share this love for nature and the passion to share with others. Our resident RW pirate orang asli, MS, wrapped up this walk with a mini guide appreciation session during the boat ride back. Just to make this last public walk of 2007 all the more memorable for us. (Thanks dude! *round of applause*) Everybody was clearly in a celebratory mood. (p/s. There’s something missing in all the photos here. Can you find it?)

Our 3 newly graduated guides: Yujie, Regina, and Hanchong

And the bunch of long suffering guides ^^
(Abby, Dionne, Ching Ling, Gillian, Howard, Jun)

More photos from Abby

Until the low tides next year folks!
= Jun =

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/last-reefwalk-for-2007-sobz/feed/ 1 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/blue-monday-no-more/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/blue-monday-no-more/#comments Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:48:48 +0000 reefwalk http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/blue-monday-no-more/ These two Mondays have been totally different in term of “bluishness”. This Monday gave me some kind of withdrawal syndrome as I did nothing but fix my car and some photos over last weekend, while last last weekend was packed with ReefWalk and HantuBlog dive (or perhaps I was too tired on that Monday to feel any bluishness). So, to get rid of the blue, what else can be better than reminiscing the event I miss doing on weekend?

After four months and a couple of oversea trips to Malaysian Borneo and Indonesia, I was finally back guiding on the Sep 29 ReefWalk. Last ReefWalk we bid farewell to Wai who has gone study at N. Carolina, USA. This ReefWalk we welcome back Jani, who has completed her MSc at Newcastle, U.K. *clapclapclap* Thanks to her and Dionne, we saw lots of AMAZING stuff during the walk!!!

what other Cs would you hunt & seek for in Singapore? no prize for guessing
these are mine: Cuttlefish, Clownfish, Catfish, Chromodoris, Corals, Cowries, Crabs, and er.. seaCucumber?

I’m not going to talk much about the sightings as Juanhui has probably summed it up nicely. Just throw in a couple of nudibranch(s) for your viewing pleasure:

blue dragon, Pteraeolidia ianthina

Chromodoris lineolata

Cap it with “the reason why we MUST wear proper footwear and avoid walking into water pool”:

my second stonefish in the lagoon

and something that puzzled me for awhile:

looks like toy-ball, feel like toy-ball, but should be a sponge

Of course, other than the creatures, we always enjoy

the satisfaction of sharing knowledge and passion,

the thrill of riding new boat,

and the FRIENDSHIP!

Guides out there, if you miss all these, join us come Oct 27, the very last walk of 2007 . Surprise awaits!

= MS =

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/blue-monday-no-more/feed/ 1 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/a-wonderful-reefwalk/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/a-wonderful-reefwalk/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2007 05:00:18 +0000 reefexhibits http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/a-wonderful-reefwalk/ What a glorious day it was out on Kusu Island on the 21st of April 2007. There was a high turnout of guides at the last minute and many OJT guides got a taste of guiding-full-on for the first time. They did a great job and were probably good enough without the last minute mugging at Marine South Pier. Participant turnout was great too, with very few no shows.

The skies threatened to open up on the way to Kusu but when we reached the island, the weather was perfect. A bit cloudy but we managed to catch the sunrise.

Critters were out in full force and I personally saw at least 4 octopuses (octopi?). I’m sure the participants saw at least one each. Apart from the anemones with shrimp and seastars (which have become resident sightings by now), we also saw a fire clam (wow!), a small squid (cute!), some jellyfish (yay!), onchidiums (slugs!) and many other thingies.

I had a wonderful time just pottering around before setting up the booth. Business was great that day and I even sold off one of the browsing copies of the Chek Jawa Guidebook. That was highly embarrassing- selling a tattered book with the words “browsing copy” scrawled on the front. But it goes to show that Singaporeans are getting very interested in our own local marine life. One participant even signed up to be a reefwalk guide on the spot.

If you wrote a blog post of that day, do let us know so we can link you on our blog! Read about some other people’s accounts of that walk:

cWitch’s multiply site

Juanhui’s blog

See you at Kusu Island next time!

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/a-wonderful-reefwalk/feed/ 1 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/how-big-can-nudibranch-grow/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/how-big-can-nudibranch-grow/#comments Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:40:00 +0000 admin http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/uncategorized/how-big-can-nudibranch-grow/ Most of the nudibranchs that I’ve seen thus far are rather small probably less than 100mm but this spanish dancer which we saw on our 20 Jan ReefWALK beats them all.

Since many of them are brighly coloured, which indicates that they don’t taste nice, why aren’t most of them of such sizes? hmm…

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/how-big-can-nudibranch-grow/feed/ 1 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/have-you-hugged-slug-today/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/have-you-hugged-slug-today/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:16:00 +0000 admin http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/uncategorized/have-you-hugged-slug-today/ Here’s a reminder to all fellow Reefwalkers and anyone else reading this. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, so don’t wait till it’s too late to appreciate what’s right there in your own ‘backyard’. Appreciate your family and friends, treasure your loved ones and hug your cat today! Put your talents and resources to good use, and give back to the community and Mother Earth. Most of all, appreciate nature, be it the last piece of natural shore left in Singapore, what’s left of our forests, our tiny but ‘rich’ offshore islands, or even something as simple as clear blue skies and fresh air.

I’ve been living in Dubai for the past seven months, and I miss Singapore nature so much that I have recurring dreams of it. I’m not exaggerating. I have 2 to 3 dreams a month about rocky shores, little slugs and ‘stars’, and all the other little treasures you can spot on the shore during low spring tides. The dreams are so vivid, I wake up wanting to put my booties on right away and run out in the dark armed with my torch and chopsticks!

Singapore and Dubai are similar in some ways – its waters and reefs damaged by constant offshore dredging and reclamation works. Singapore added 20% more land to its original size or 135km2 as of 2003, with plans for adding 99km2 more by 2008 (PlanetArk.com). Likewise, the total coastline of the UAE is 60km, and new offshore projects (such as the ‘Palm’ islands and ‘The World’) will add over 1,000km!

Divers would know that the Gulf region has some really superb dive sites. However, these are located on the East Coast of the UAE and Oman. So for a non-diver like me who needs her regular dose of reefwalking, there’s nothing! I’m starved for free and easily accessible ‘wild action’! There’s only Jumeira Beach, which is mainly reclaimed and artificial. Like wah… so nice and clear and blue… Just the thing ignorant tourists love. Just the thing a Reefwalker might have nightmares about. Nothing to spot or seek! Notice how the beach is so flat and white. No rocks, no little crabs scurrying about, no little holes in the sand… The beach is so barren you don’t even see seaweed! One can probably make money from literally selling seashells on the seashore.

So Singapore, this is what you’ll have to live with in the future if all our beaches and offshore islands opt for the ‘tourist-attracting’ plan. The next time you wanna see a sea sponge or sea star, you may have to pay to see them in a huge state-of-the-art aquarium. Of course there’ll still be marine life in Singapore waters. Some of them will adapt and hang around till the silt and sediment finally clears in many, many years time, if ever. Some of them will pack their bags in search of a new home away from Singapore. Most of them will die.

And I fear one day, future Reefwalkers and Singaporeans will have to go through what I’m going through now. Waking up in the morning after a vivid “blue” dream, sulking the whole day as I think of “back when”. Most people may think of Singapore as a concrete jungle, but we actually still have a lot of natural areas. Little diamonds in the rough scattered all over the island. Changi Beach may not be a ‘tropical seaside paradise’, but it’s still ‘heaven’ to me, and home to a variety of seaweeds, seagrasses and sea creatures. The mosquitoes at SBWR can eat you alive, but the chance to appreciate the biodiversity here is more than worth it. So the next time you have a day off or even half a day off, dedicate it to nature! Spend a few hours exploring one of our shores or Sungei Buloh or Bukit Timah. Go “sayang” a goby or fondle some seaweed for me! And most importantly, share your experience with everyone – family, friends, neighbours, students, co-workers, MPs…

]]> http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/have-you-hugged-slug-today/feed/ 1 http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/1000th-visitor-to-kusu-reef-walk/ http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/reef-walk/1000th-visitor-to-kusu-reef-walk/#comments Wed, 17 May 2006 06:05:00 +0000 admin http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/uncategorized/1000th-visitor-to-kusu-reef-walk/ The day started “normally” enough at 4am … picked up Han Chong and his friend Grace (who apparently had a nice nap in the back of my van on the way there) from my place to Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal … only to find that the gate to the carpark was closed!! A frantic and haressed Ming Sheng finally got cars organised to ferry people through another gate, and Bernard managed to rouse the security guard to open the locked gates. The minor bump in the road set us back by 30 minutes, but we managed to make that up with a very fast ferry ride (about 25 min).

Guides and participants waiting outside the carpark gates of the Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal.

Torches, something you normally don’t carry around, came in handy this morning … I bet the inhabitants of the lagoon thought that E.T. was visiting them

So, the walk started in darkness for most groups, but soon the sun peeked over the horizon and by the time it showed its merry face, we were about half done with the walk. I had originally been tasked to take photos to fill in the gaps for our guide training presentation, but was roped in to guide last minute due to an over supply of visitors. Nonetheless, I managed to get some photos:

Limpets on a rock. Limpets are mollusks that seal themselves in with a small amount of water so they don’t dry out while the tide is out. In WW2, scuba commandos would sink enemy ships using “limpet mines” – mines that that had a strong magnet and were stuck to the bottom of ships.

Barnacles are crustaceans that spend all of their adult life on their backs … they stick their legs out into the water and filter food particles. Unlike the limpets (which has a single complete shell) the barnacle’s “shell” is composed of a series of plates. The hinged “doors” at the top of the shell lock tight when the tide goes out, trapping a small amount of water.

Some of the guides having a well-deserved breakfast after the walk.

This walk ended on a high note for the Reef Walk programme, as we celebrated the occassion of our 1000th visitor to Kusu. As previously reported by Ming Sheng, BWV was formed on 14th February 2004, Reef Walks commenced on 14th November 2004, and this was our 14th reef walk. A happy coincidence of the number 14!

Ying Ying, our 1000th Reef Walker! Congrats and thanks for your support! Also, check out MS in our BWV polo-T!

We also celebrated the graduation of our latest batch of guides, and also presented certificates of appreciation to people who have helped previously with the Reef Walks, either as organisers or as trainers.

Trond, one of our graduating guides, who is also doing his Masters degree at NUS.

Yihao, one of the many who received a certificate of appreciation (for his previous work in the Reef Walk committee).

As a final note, you will notice our guides spotted our brand new, hot off the press polo-Ts … a nice solid navy blue colour, the polo-Ts had a simplified BWV logo embrioded on the front, and, for those who requested, our names on the right sleeve. This would give our volunteers a greater sense of identity and presence at our events.

I am sure the next group of reef walkers will have as good a time as we did at the next Reef Walk on May 28. Thanks for all your support and see you all soon!

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