Coastal Clean Up @ Tanah Merah

5 June 2010 - On World Environment Day, 19 energetic volunteers heeded Andy's call to clean up our beloved Tanah Merah shore that has been hit quite badly by the recent oil spill.

Unlike East Coast Park and Changi Beach, this shore hardly sees visitors and is thus not cleaned as regularly. This is a great pity, as Tanah Merah is rich with marine life!

Our objective this morning is to remove plastic bottles and other light debris which may be coated with crude oil from the shore. But just as we were about to set off, lightning and heavy rain descended on us and the team had to spend almost an hour waiting for the storm to blow itself out.

Braving the light rain and wind, the team set out to clean the shore - geared with poncho, rubber gloves, umbrella and many trash bags. There was still a lingering smell of oil in the air.

The poor shore is coated with a layer of crude oil. Even the sand is stained black!

It's sad to see our beautiful shore strewn with rubbish, many of which were coated in crude oil. Apart from lots of discarded plastic bottles and styrofoam debris, other items we came across include shovels, ropes, buckets and rubber gloves.

Trash picking is pretty back-breaking work. Some of the crude-soaked rubbish are really heavy! The bags of trash were gathered and left on the high shore as Andy had made prior arrangements with NEA to dispose them.

The team of 19 collected 85 bags of rubbish in 2 hours! Here's the team in high spirits at the end of the clean up session.

Ria and Kok Sheng also took the opportunity to check out the marine life on the oil-slicked shore. And one of the casualties spotted this morning is....

Ria's swimming camera! It bravely took a dip in the oil-covered lagoon to check out the situation underwater. Read Ria's blog to find out how the marine creatures are doing.

Read also:

• Ria - Clean up oily 'orphaned' Tanah Merah
  
• Kok Sheng - Tanah Merah cleanup on World Environment Day

Corals of Kusu Island

29 May 2010 - This morning the team was out on Kusu Island for another giant clam hunt. While waiting for our boat to the island, a commotion caught our attention...

Two anglers had caught a lobster! The poor creature was thrashing wildly about when it was hauled out of the water... =(

Not long after setting foot on Kusu, an exclamation from Chay Hoon got many of us excited. She had spotted a small wolf snake gliding through the grass!

Just outside the seawall of Kusu Island lies a magnificent stretch of coral reef. It was really stunning. The reef was densely packed with corals and anemones of all shapes, sizes and colours.

Here's a collage of the various types of corals we saw today. Many would find it hard to believe that we actually have these beauties right here in Singapore!

This soft coral lookalike is really the Fire Anemone (Actinodendron sp.). As hinted by its name, do not touch it unless you want a nasty sting.

Another special anemone encountered today is the Leathery Anemone (Heteractis crispa). This particular anemone has purple tips on its tentacles and is home to a five-spot anemone shrimp.

Many Giant Carpet Anemones (Stichodactyla gigantea) can be found on Kusu Island and this particular one has three False Clown Anemonefishes (Amphiprion ocellaris) living in it!

This female Five-spot Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis) was found on another giant carpet anemone.

and this is one of its two male companions...

We saw many of these White-orange Black Flatworms (Pseudobiceros uniarborensis) on the shore today.

This is a White-rumped Sea Cucumber (Actinopyga lecanora).

It was nice to find Feather Stars on our shore today. This black one was found nestled among corals.

and here's another one, but in red.

The team retreated to explore the lagoon when the tide returned and we found many Common Sea Stars (Archaster typicus). This one is a little more special as it has 6 arms.

Also spotted in the lagoon, is a pair of Extraordinary Sea Hares (Aplysia extraordinaria).

Here's a shot of the team in action today.

Kusu Island is just a 15 minute boat ride from mainland Singapore. And yet, it is home to a beautiful coral reef with lots of wonderful marine animals. Now, who said there are no nice coral reefs in Singapore?

Read also:

• James - 100529 Kusu Island
• Kok Sheng - Spectacular coral reef of Kusu
• Ria - Kusu Island: slick-free, for now
  

Slugs of Pulau Tekukor

28 May 2010 - It's Vesak Day today, and the team was out on Pulau Tekukor in the wee hours of the morning for another giant clam hunt. Pulau Tekukor lies just south of Sentosa and was formerly used as an ammunition dump. The island is closed to the public and we are lucky to be able to visit as Mei Lin has a permit for her giant clam project.

The shore of Pulau Tekukor is covered with lots and lots of Zoanthids. We had to try really hard not to step on them, they were just everywhere!

We saw quite a number of these Frilly Anemones (Phymanthus sp.) too. This is the first time I came across one with pinkish hues.

Octopus. Surprisingly, it stayed very still for us to take photos. =)

This is a Mud Crab (Scylla sp.). Mud crabs belong to the same family as swimming crabs. Their last pair of legs are paddle-shaped, but are not used for swimming as mud crabs are big and heavy. Instead, these legs are used for burrowing.

This pretty but inedible crab is the Floral Egg Crab (Atergatis floridus). It is also known as the Brown Egg Crab.

and this is the Red Egg Crab (Atergatis integerrimus). Like the brown egg crab, this crab is also poisonous.

Spotted this crab half-buried in the sand. Not sure if its dead or if it's just a moult...

This small, insect-like animal is an Arrow-head Spider Crab (Menatheius sp.). Though quite common, this crab is often overlooked as it is well camouflaged.

We spotted quite a number of Long-spined Scorpion Fish (Paracentropogon longispinis) today.

This is a Filefish. Like the octopus, this fish can change colours and patterns to match its surroundings!

There were many White-spotted Rabbitfishes (Siganus cacnaliculatus) on the shore today.

And the worms we saw today include: a White-orange Black Flatworm (Pseudobiceros uniarborensis)...

a Blue-lined Flatworm (Pseudoceros sp.)...

and a Spotted Black Flatworm (Acanthozoon sp.). This is one of my favourite flatworms. Isn't it beautiful?

Learnt today how to spot tiny slugs on the shore. Just look among the Hairy Green Seaweed (Bryopsis sp.)! This well-camouflaged creature is the Bryopsis Slug (Placida daguilarensis).

They are really hard to spot, being only about 1cm. This poor slug got washed away from its seaweed by the waves.

another tiny slug we spotted... I've no idea what it is though.

This is an Ornate Leaf Slug (Elysia ornata).

This beautiful slug is the Thuridilla gracilis. (Thanks James, for the id!)

Chay Hoon found this Chromodoris fidelis. Isn't it cute?

and a Starry Mouthed Nudibranch (Bornella stellifer)!

Now, meet Harry, the harried Hairy Sea Hare (Bursatella leachii)!

There were lots of these Black Long Sea Cucumbers (Holothuria leucospilota) on the shore today.

a beautiful sunrise greeted us towards the end of our trip...

the rocky portion of Pulau Tekukor. I thought it looked like the Martian landscape! =)

here's another part of the shore, with Sentosa in the background.

Adventure on Pulau Jong

17 May 2010 - My third consecutive intertidal trip of the week! This morning, the team was out at Pulau Jong to help Mei Lin look for giant clams. And it didn't take long before the team found two beautiful clams!

Here's one of them. This Fluted Giant Clam (Tridacna squamosa) was partially covered by a leathery soft coral. Hmm... I wonder if the coral will have any adverse effect on the clam?

the same giant clam, with Pulau Jong in the background.

Pulau Jong is home to many different types of soft corals. This is a leathery soft coral (Family Alcyoniidae).

and here's another type of leathery soft coral...

Apart from soft corals, there are hard corals on Pulau Jong too. This is an Acropora Coral (Acropora sp.). This coral's unique bright yellow centre caught my eye.

Nope, this is not a coral, but an anemone - the Frilly Anemone (Phymanthus sp.).

Chay Hoon spotted this beautiful Gymnodoris Nudibranch (Gymnodoris sp.) with yellow spots.

This is the Polka-dot Nudibranch (Jorunna funebris). I always think the slug resembles a cow. =P

and this pretty slug with all the frills is the Black-margined Nudibranch (Glossodoris atromarginata).

I had a most exasperating time trying to take decent pictures of this Tiny Armina Nudibranch (Dermatobranchus sp.). Just can't seem to get it nicely focused... =S

and this is the nudibranch that drives James crazy - the Pimply Phyllid Nudibranch (Phyllidiella pustulosa). Why? because even though the slug appears to have greenish bumps to our naked eyes, in photos, the bumps always turn out light-bluish!

Saw quite a number of these Blue-lined Flatworms (Pseudoceros sp.) today...

and quite a few of this Black Long Sea Cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota) too...

This is a White-rumped Sea Cucumber (Actinopyga lecanora).

here's another one, out of water, looking a little "deflated"...

Was a little surprised to find a hermit crab residing in this spider conch shell... a nice change from the usual stalk-eyes and muscular foot of the spider conch. =)

Red Egg Crab (Atergatis integerrimus). Been seeing these crabs quite often on my recent field trips.

Chay Hoon found this unusual sea star near the end of our trip. It has 7 arms and is about 1cm in size. No idea what species this is, but its mottled pattern resembles that of the more common Crown Sea Star (Asterina coronata).

Here's what the underside of the star looks like...

Pulau Jong, or affectionately also known as "Pau" Island amongst ourselves, is located south of mainland Singapore, near Pulau Semakau. In the background of this photo, is the transfer building of Semakau Landfill.

Pulau Jong is a really small island. But its extensive shore is exposed during low tide.

On the other side of Jong is the oil refineries of Pulau Bukom.

It was a pretty scary experience doing amphibious boarding and landing on Jong. The currents were really strong and waves kept crashing onto our little dinghy. And amidst all the action, we still have to be careful where we place our feet lest we step on a stonefish! Am glad everyone made it safely. =)