My Out on A Swim blog is rated in the Top 20 Coral Reef Blogs in the world.
It serves as a record of what has caught my eye when ‘out on a swim’ in the lagoons of Norfolk Island, as well as providing some short stories about the characters under the waves.
Purple velvet sea star, Leiaster leachii, as it broadcasts spawn into the water column, Norfolk Island
In May on Norfolk Island, the day after the full moon and at low tide, I witnessed an enormous Leach’s sea star, Leiaster leachi, as it broadcast its gametes into the water column. What an amazing WOW moment! And what a privilege to witness such a rare event. Here are some images and video of the action.
Read MoreCorals found in the lagoons of Norfolk Island
There were three confirmed coral spawning events on Norfolk Island’s coral reef during the 2021–2022 season. The evidence for these has now been published in Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies. Written by Professor Andrew Baird, chief investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, I am very kindly cited as a co-author because of my observations of these events. Read here to find out more.
Read MoreThe mass spawning coral myth, debunked: coral mass spawning has captured the imagination of the public, while some of the coverage in the media has cemented a number of myths surrounding the event. The most pervasive being that mass spawning only occurs on one night each year. Not true! Read more here.
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