CNY eve at Sekudu
'Twas a quiet but good day out on Sekudu yesterday afternoon, away from the frenzy of CNY preparations no doubt happening everywhere on the mainland.
Sekudu has always been one of my favourite destinations, a small island, just a short boat ride out from the Changi Village jetty. There were always interesting finds on the teeming reef flat - slugs of all description to satisfy the Wildfilms' resident slimophile, and that was where we found that file snake before! Hence, it was with a sense of trepidation with which I went; after reading all the latest posts about the massive destruction on the Northern shores caused by the torrential rains last month and the resultant dip in salinity.
Thankfully enough, other than being engulfed in mounds of sea lettuce, it looked pretty much like normal, with many of our weird and wacky friends still out and about, despite the blazing afternoon sun, which came out after a brief shower.
So amidst the clacking, splashing, and the usual babble of the reef, I managed to chuckle at (not one but) two toadfish croaking and flopping, tickle a dance out of one of the many crabs around, play with my favourite slimy friends (this time it was the hairy sea hares that seemed to be everywhere on the reef), and observe more bizarre fishes in action (Ria found a cute little polka-dotted yellow boxfish, and Chay Hoon later found a fat black pipefish with pretty markings on its side). Ria in particular was quite heartened to find the anemones looking alive and well. As Sekudu is just opposite to Chek Jawa, these healthy animals will help to repopulate the devastated shore!
Island escape - looking decidedly greener than usual.
Bursatella leachii - the hairy sea hare. Egg mass can be seen in the same picture, at the upper right corner (the grey stringy stuff).
Ostracion cubicus - the yellow boxfish, a juvenile less than 2cm in diameter, which I found quite endearing due to its peculiar body shape, and the way it seems to float around through the water like a little balloon.
Unknown pipefish - black, with lighter spots along its side, forming a pretty pattern.
Generally healthy-looking anemones (except for the odd bleached one, like the yellow one in the top left corner) that will help to reseed Chek Jawa.
Sekudu has always been one of my favourite destinations, a small island, just a short boat ride out from the Changi Village jetty. There were always interesting finds on the teeming reef flat - slugs of all description to satisfy the Wildfilms' resident slimophile, and that was where we found that file snake before! Hence, it was with a sense of trepidation with which I went; after reading all the latest posts about the massive destruction on the Northern shores caused by the torrential rains last month and the resultant dip in salinity.
Thankfully enough, other than being engulfed in mounds of sea lettuce, it looked pretty much like normal, with many of our weird and wacky friends still out and about, despite the blazing afternoon sun, which came out after a brief shower.
So amidst the clacking, splashing, and the usual babble of the reef, I managed to chuckle at (not one but) two toadfish croaking and flopping, tickle a dance out of one of the many crabs around, play with my favourite slimy friends (this time it was the hairy sea hares that seemed to be everywhere on the reef), and observe more bizarre fishes in action (Ria found a cute little polka-dotted yellow boxfish, and Chay Hoon later found a fat black pipefish with pretty markings on its side). Ria in particular was quite heartened to find the anemones looking alive and well. As Sekudu is just opposite to Chek Jawa, these healthy animals will help to repopulate the devastated shore!
Island escape - looking decidedly greener than usual.
Bursatella leachii - the hairy sea hare. Egg mass can be seen in the same picture, at the upper right corner (the grey stringy stuff).
Ostracion cubicus - the yellow boxfish, a juvenile less than 2cm in diameter, which I found quite endearing due to its peculiar body shape, and the way it seems to float around through the water like a little balloon.
Unknown pipefish - black, with lighter spots along its side, forming a pretty pattern.
Generally healthy-looking anemones (except for the odd bleached one, like the yellow one in the top left corner) that will help to reseed Chek Jawa.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home