A pink lake (really!), a shell beach, leaning trees and dugongs galore! We saw these and more during the most fantastic, eye-opening trip up the Coral Coast of Western Australia!
Bali: Green School of the future
With its tagline, “Equipping Children for 2025″, this school is seriously a school for the future. It is almost entirely made of bamboo and is such an interesting, inspiring place to learn.
Lenscape #4
Meet Tan Sri, my lovely canine companion during my afternoon stroll at the Langkawi Animal Shelter & Sanctuary Foundation (LASSie), in Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia, in Dec 2009.
Singapore: When corals come out to play…
Earlier this month, we were invited to help out in a friend's research dives - to witness and study the annual coral spawning event. As avid divers, we were naturally very (VERY VERY) excited!
Lenscape #3
This is a battery of Sawtooth Barracudas sighted in the waters off the most famous oceanic island in Malaysia, Pulau Sipadan in 2009.
Freshly caught fish glistening in the sun at a market in Manado, Indonesia in 2004
Esther and I are avid divers and whenever we have a chance during our dive trips, we would visit the local fish market at our destination. It’s interesting to see what type of local dish are caught and sold. This picture was taken in the wee hours of the morning when the fish are laid out before day break. That’s when masses of people from the local restaurants, hotels and residents come down to savour the fresh catch.
In Manado, Indonesia – which is famous for its great diving – the sea life is abundant due to the rich volcanic sand of the Lembeh Straits. This market is the best and biggest wet market in Manado and is known as Pasar Bersehati Manado. Go visit if you have time to spare and be pleasantly surprised by the friendly fishmongers.
Earlier this month, we had a real treat. We were invited by a very kind friend to help out in her research dives – to witness and study the annual coral spawning event.
Now, being avid divers, we were naturally very (VERY VERY) excited!
And on that balmy night, in the short stretch of reef fronting the Raffles Lighthouse, the corals did not disappoint. No sirree – they were all out to play! They rock and rolled, and put on a great show!
Check out Jeff’s amazing photos for an idea of the performance we enjoyed.
The corals came out to play!
What happens during a mass coral spawning event is that parcels of egg and sperm are released by the corals. They float to the surface, where fertilisation occurs if they mix.
A microscopic larva then forms and settles on a hard surface, like a rock. It transforms into a sedentary coral polyp, which multiplies to form a colony. Only one in thousands of eggs completes this process, with the rest being eaten by fish and other marine life.
It’s not exact, but typically, corals spawn a few days after the full moon nearest to Good Friday. In Singapore, at least.
A closer look at the parcels being released
Pop, pop, a-popping!
We had to mark the corals that were spawning using white ribbons attached to weights (lower right hand corner)
A group of researchers from different parts of the world were also there to study the coral spawning.
This goes to show that there is something amazing beneath the depths of the infamously murky Singapore waters. Something worth preserving; something worth saving.
This is a battery of Sawtooth Barracudas sighted in the waters off the most famous oceanic island in Malaysia, Pulau Sipadan. Sipadan is an atoll that stands some 600m (2,000ft) off the ocean floor in Sabah, east of the major town of Tawau. The island boasts the richest marine habitats as it is situated in the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin. Many diving journals recommend it as one of the top dive destinations in the world. The island is now a protected sanctuary where resorts are no longer allowed to operate. This is so that the natural process of regeneration can take place. I had actually stayed in one of the resorts on the island during my first visit in 2005.
These barracudas travel in huge shoals, which also sometimes form vortexes to scare off any potential threats coming towards them. However, on the day we encountered them, they were obviously not threatened at all by us. I took this photo when the barracudas formed an impenetrable wall which cast a shadow on us as we were diving just beneath them. It was like an eclipse that took away the sun’s rays from our sights. Nature is really just awesome.
~ Jeffrey
Morning guys! Here’s Jeff’s first Lenscape photo, enjoy!
