Sentosa shore: wild and free
There is a stretch of wild shore on Sentosa, where marine life flourishes wild and free.
The waters on this shore is among the clearest in Singapore. We don't really know why.
The shores abound with living hard corals in myriad forms and colours.
Some hard corals literally glow in the dark! Giving an eerie greenish glow at sunset (without batteries).
We encounter these most often on Sentosa.
There are also amazing soft corals that look like something from outer space. They can be enormous! Reaching 1m wide or more. And come in really strange shapes: some look like a bunch of surgical gloves, others like bizarre leafy lifeforms. But they are not plants! They are colonial animals, like hard corals. But instead of a hard skeleton, they share a common soft tissue, which can be leathery.
The shores are dotted with amazing sea anemones.
Crab and shrimps find a happy home here. Lots of hiding places and lots to eat.
Anemone shrimps settle among the tentacles of giant carpet anemones. Brightly coloured crabs advertise their toxic nature: "Eat me and Die!", while others like the hairy crab are well camouflaged. Hermit crabs need to protect their soft backsides inside an empty shell. This tiny black hermit crab is only commonly seen on Sentosa.
All these yummy little creatures attract fishes of all shapes and sizes. Eeltail catfishes often swim in balls of many individuals; tiny ones in the hundreds, as they get older in smaller numbers. The beautiful butterflyfish is almost always seen on every trip. Well camouflaged pufferfishes are not so easily spotted.
The first time I saw a sea snake was on Sentosa. The elegant creature ignored me as it gracefully wove its way among the corals to check out crevices for a tasty titbit. Although highly venomous, this snake is gentle and like other snakes, will not bite if it is left alone.
Most people don't really like worms. But those on our shores can be gorgeous.
These feathery creatures are worms! They are very shy and will disappear at the slightest sign of danger.
For some reason, shore guides and wildfilms crew LOVE slugs.
Some are tiny, others as big as your hand. There are lots on Sentosa!
For those who prefer their slugs with shells, there are plenty of pretty snails on the shores too.
Seaweeds can be very strange indeed. On Sentosa, they come in all shapes and colours.
All the wonders of this wild shore on Sentosa can be appreciated by an ordinary person.
No need to swim, no need to dive!
And all that you see are wild and natural. No robots.
...and free. Of charge, of cages.
More about Sentosa's shores
Volunteers for the Sentosa seagrass transect (yes, Sentosa has lots of seagrass too)
More photos of Sentosa's shores
List of Sentosa's plants and animals.
Besides the amazing marinelife, the natural cliffs of Sentosa are also home to now rare plants. See Joseph Lai's list of these on his eart-h.com
Media reports on plans for the Sentosa IR
The waters on this shore is among the clearest in Singapore. We don't really know why.
The shores abound with living hard corals in myriad forms and colours.
Some hard corals literally glow in the dark! Giving an eerie greenish glow at sunset (without batteries).
We encounter these most often on Sentosa.
There are also amazing soft corals that look like something from outer space. They can be enormous! Reaching 1m wide or more. And come in really strange shapes: some look like a bunch of surgical gloves, others like bizarre leafy lifeforms. But they are not plants! They are colonial animals, like hard corals. But instead of a hard skeleton, they share a common soft tissue, which can be leathery.
The shores are dotted with amazing sea anemones.
Crab and shrimps find a happy home here. Lots of hiding places and lots to eat.
Anemone shrimps settle among the tentacles of giant carpet anemones. Brightly coloured crabs advertise their toxic nature: "Eat me and Die!", while others like the hairy crab are well camouflaged. Hermit crabs need to protect their soft backsides inside an empty shell. This tiny black hermit crab is only commonly seen on Sentosa.
All these yummy little creatures attract fishes of all shapes and sizes. Eeltail catfishes often swim in balls of many individuals; tiny ones in the hundreds, as they get older in smaller numbers. The beautiful butterflyfish is almost always seen on every trip. Well camouflaged pufferfishes are not so easily spotted.
The first time I saw a sea snake was on Sentosa. The elegant creature ignored me as it gracefully wove its way among the corals to check out crevices for a tasty titbit. Although highly venomous, this snake is gentle and like other snakes, will not bite if it is left alone.
Most people don't really like worms. But those on our shores can be gorgeous.
These feathery creatures are worms! They are very shy and will disappear at the slightest sign of danger.
For some reason, shore guides and wildfilms crew LOVE slugs.
Some are tiny, others as big as your hand. There are lots on Sentosa!
For those who prefer their slugs with shells, there are plenty of pretty snails on the shores too.
Seaweeds can be very strange indeed. On Sentosa, they come in all shapes and colours.
All the wonders of this wild shore on Sentosa can be appreciated by an ordinary person.
No need to swim, no need to dive!
And all that you see are wild and natural. No robots.
...and free. Of charge, of cages.
More about Sentosa's shores
Volunteers for the Sentosa seagrass transect (yes, Sentosa has lots of seagrass too)
More photos of Sentosa's shores
List of Sentosa's plants and animals.
Besides the amazing marinelife, the natural cliffs of Sentosa are also home to now rare plants. See Joseph Lai's list of these on his eart-h.com
Media reports on plans for the Sentosa IR
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