Blue Water Volunteers

Christmas greetings from the Reefwalk team

2007-12-11T10:31:00.000+08:00

Made by Juanhui

BWV website is down

2007-12-11T09:29:00.000+08:00

Dear friends, if you came here looking for our old website, I'm sorry to say that it is currently down due to some problems with the domain name registration.

Please watch this space for more information regarding our activities.

For general enquiries, please send an email to reef@bluewatervolunteers.org

To subscribe to our mailing list, please send a blank email to bluewatervolunteers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Dress up as your favourite plant or animal!

2007-09-25T20:35:00.000+08:00

Or fungus, protist or bacteria...who are we to discriminate eh? Plus get to meet Jane Goodall in person!

Here's the blurb from the organisers:

Greetings from the Jane Goodall Institute, Singapore!

You are invited to join Dr Jane Goodall and friends at an event to advocate for our wild plant and animal species at The Singapore Wildlife Stampede on November 2^ndat the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Join in the parade dressed as a plant or animal, or just come picnic at the Palm Valley and see Dr Goodall in person.

Let us know you are interested by emailing: Elizabeth eberdz@gmail.com or Lynette lynette_cdz@hotmail.com

Or register on-line at our website http://wildlifeparade.wordpress.com/

Act for Earth!

Join the Singapore Wildlife Stampede on November 2 led by Dr. Jane Goodall (primatologist and conservationist) and her friends. Suitable for kids 5 to 95!

Parade: 4pm Jacob Ballas Children's Garden en route to Palm Valley, Singapore Botanic Gardens

Picnic: 5pm Palm Valley, Singapore Botanic Gardens

Dress up as your favourite endangered plant or animal and advocate for our wild habitats!

Bring an eco-picnic and see Dr. Goodall in person with her chimpanzee mascot, Mr H.

For more information and to register, http://wildlifeparade.wordpress.com/

To find out more about Dr. Jane Goodall and her work, check out http://www.janegoodall.org/

Help us make this an eco-friendly event:

BRING re-useable drinking bottles, natural mats not plastic, & homemade picnic food

- reduce picnic disposables & litter

- reuse old materials for costumes

- recycle after parade

Help us create a better awareness about our fragile Earth and her endangered wildlife.

Blog announcement

2007-04-23T22:58:00.000+08:00

Dear all, if you are at our blogger website, please be informed that our ReefWalk blog has officially moved to our website. You can now view it at http://www.bluewatervolunteers.org/bwv-community. Remember to update your bookmarks.

If are viewing this from the BWV website, thank you for supporting us and do check this space again for further updates on our activities.

Previous contributors please keep a look out in your emails for instructions, with a username and password. If you don't receive one, it could be because you have not posted anything in the past year or so. Please send an email to me to request for one.

See what happened during Earth Day!

2007-04-23T11:45:00.000+08:00

If you weren't at our Earth Day celebration at the Botanic Gardens on Sunday, you certainly missed a lot of fun stuff! Check out the report and photos on the Habitatnews blog. And we'll post our own report once the organising committee recovers!

Earth Day Celebrations!

2007-04-09T06:03:00.000+08:00

Click on the poster for more details!

How big can a nudibranch grow?

2007-02-22T23:40:00.000+08:00

Most of the nudibranchs that I've seen thus far are rather small probably less than 100mm but this spanish dancer which we saw on our 20 Jan ReefWALK beats them all.

Since many of them are brighly coloured, which indicates that they don't taste nice, why aren't most of them of such sizes? hmm...

Have you hugged a slug today?

2007-02-10T03:16:00.000+08:00

Here’s a reminder to all fellow Reefwalkers and anyone else reading this. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, so don’t wait till it’s too late to appreciate what’s right there in your own 'backyard'. Appreciate your family and friends, treasure your loved ones and hug your cat today! Put your talents and resources to good use, and give back to the community and Mother Earth. Most of all, appreciate nature, be it the last piece of natural shore left in Singapore, what’s left of our forests, our tiny but ‘rich’ offshore islands, or even something as simple as clear blue skies and fresh air.

I’ve been living in Dubai for the past seven months, and I miss Singapore nature so much that I have recurring dreams of it. I’m not exaggerating. I have 2 to 3 dreams a month about rocky shores, little slugs and ‘stars’, and all the other little treasures you can spot on the shore during low spring tides. The dreams are so vivid, I wake up wanting to put my booties on right away and run out in the dark armed with my torch and chopsticks!

Singapore and Dubai are similar in some ways – its waters and reefs damaged by constant offshore dredging and reclamation works. Singapore added 20% more land to its original size or 135km2 as of 2003, with plans for adding 99km2 more by 2008 (PlanetArk.com). Likewise, the total coastline of the UAE is 60km, and new offshore projects (such as the 'Palm' islands and 'The World') will add over 1,000km!

Divers would know that the Gulf region has some really superb dive sites. However, these are located on the East Coast of the UAE and Oman. So for a non-diver like me who needs her regular dose of reefwalking, there’s nothing! I’m starved for free and easily accessible 'wild action'! There’s only Jumeira Beach, which is mainly reclaimed and artificial. Like wah… so nice and clear and blue… Just the thing ignorant tourists love. Just the thing a Reefwalker might have nightmares about. Nothing to spot or seek! Notice how the beach is so flat and white. No rocks, no little crabs scurrying about, no little holes in the sand… The beach is so barren you don’t even see seaweed! One can probably make money from literally selling seashells on the seashore.

So Singapore, this is what you’ll have to live with in the future if all our beaches and offshore islands opt for the ‘tourist-attracting’ plan. The next time you wanna see a sea sponge or sea star, you may have to pay to see them in a huge state-of-the-art aquarium. Of course there’ll still be marine life in Singapore waters. Some of them will adapt and hang around till the silt and sediment finally clears in many, many years time, if ever. Some of them will pack their bags in search of a new home away from Singapore. Most of them will die.

And I fear one day, future Reefwalkers and Singaporeans will have to go through what I’m going through now. Waking up in the morning after a vivid “blue” dream, sulking the whole day as I think of “back when”. Most people may think of Singapore as a concrete jungle, but we actually still have a lot of natural areas. Little diamonds in the rough scattered all over the island. Changi Beach may not be a 'tropical seaside paradise', but it's still 'heaven' to me, and home to a variety of seaweeds, seagrasses and sea creatures. The mosquitoes at SBWR can eat you alive, but the chance to appreciate the biodiversity here is more than worth it. So the next time you have a day off or even half a day off, dedicate it to nature! Spend a few hours exploring one of our shores or Sungei Buloh or Bukit Timah. Go “sayang” a goby or fondle some seaweed for me! And most importantly, share your experience with everyone - family, friends, neighbours, students, co-workers, MPs…

Guess who we saw at Sisters?

2006-12-21T14:48:00.000+08:00

Reef Friends Survey- Sisters' Islands Dec 2006

2006-12-19T12:04:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, the monsoon rains took a rest as BWV's ReefFriends Survey team went out to the Sisters' Islands. It didn't bode too well in the beginning, with scientific officers pulling out of the dive, leaving me alone to hold the fort, with a reduced team (we had to cancel one boat) and 2 sites to finish in one day. So much for a lepak lepak trip back to Singapore waters :).

Nevertheless, we had 3 SO's in-training on board, 2 newcomers to Reef Check who were going to learn how to lay tape on-the-job, and a boatful of divers brimming with enthusiasm and confidence (at least, that's what I was saying to myself...)

People ask what it's like to dive in S'pore again after a field trip to the Florida Keys, and the answer is- it was GREAT! The vis was really nice, so clear that I didn't need to use my white balance function on the shallow transect. Plus I really missed seeing my nudis!

Phyllids are sweet...

As is this polka dotted Jorunna

And what's this next to the transect tape?

Our little team of 9 was the epitome of efficiency, and we were done with our first site (Sisters Laut) by lunchtime, just as the current was picking up. Marco, the head RF coordinator, was testing out a new scheme to expand the number of fish and invertebrate species we survey, including nudibranchs and featherstars. Lots and lots of the latter today! Maybe because the currents got pretty strong?

Some of the feather-stars were tiny!

Half an hour later, the tape-laying teams bravely descended into the currents to start the second transect at Sisters Darat. The timing was perfect, such that by the time the benthic survey came around, there was hardly any water movement at all....

Benthic survey means recording immobile stuff like this hard coral!

The invert folks got excited upon seeing this m0nster sea cucumber along the transect line, but alas, it wasn't one of the four edible Reef Check target species.

Amazingly, we wrapped the second survey by 4pm with all data intact! And this concludes the Reef Friends Southern Islands Survey for 2006! More to come next year!

So Reef Check and LIT-trained divers- Where are you??? We need you for future survey dives! Do sign up by emailing reeffriends-subscribe@yahoogroups.com with your name, survey experience (e.g. expedition trip), and dive gear rental requirements. Or write to the Reef Friends coordinators, who are all friendly people, at reeffriends@bluewatervolunteers.org.

WHAT AN INSULT!

2006-12-02T12:57:00.000+08:00

These recent news on the proposed development of the Southern Islands have got many people on their feet, e.g. BlueBabe, WildSingapore. There are many ways to think about this issue, and I am trying hard to not jump out of my chair, thinking of various ways these developments can be good for anyone, e.g. more jobs created, more tourists, less nature areas to worry about, more money saved not diving in Singapore etc... many many more...

So I tried to put myself in the shoes of a natural plant/animal in the Southern Islands... like a coral, or a reef crab, or just a simple protist like a dinoflagellate/zooxanthella. You know, looking at things from different perspectives mah... It seems that those people with the ideas are saying that Singapore's natural environment in the Southern Islands are not good enough to bring in the visitors... WHAT AN INSULT!

The simple coral with its zooxanthellae, and the associated reef crabs apparently bring in more than AU$2 billion a year for Australia. So they think resorts are great... wait till tourists check into the possible luxurious resorts in the islands and find themselves bored to death! No fish to fish, no reefs to dive, no rocky beaches to walk on, etc. - only white artificial sand that I can buy and put at home even... These remaining biodiversity has survived all the #$%# prior developments/reclamation (remember I'm speaking on behalf of the corals and crabs - explains the expletives) with such resilience, just to be unappreciated at the end. WHAT AN INSULT!

Let's see who get's the last laugh... Probably not the natural organisms above (but I bet they would if they could). I would, at least from watching tourists who can only eat, sleep and walk along white sandy ARTIFICIAL beaches in the future (possible) Southern Islands.

More news on Southern Island development plans

2006-12-01T00:56:00.000+08:00

Channel NewsAsia 30 Nov 06
Villas and marine park are possibilities for the Southern Island development, say experts
By May Wong

At least one angle talks about preserving the marine environment around Kusu and adjacent islands... I suppose that is good, though I don't see how building resorts, spas, golf courses (??) or an artificial rainforest can take place on such a small island without adversely affecting the already stressed out coral reefs there.

Based on this line in the news article- " This comes after the Singapore Tourism Board revealed it wants to get ideas on how to develop the six islands. They include the Kusu, St John's and Sisters' Islands.", the authorities want your input and ideas! If you care about the marine diversity of the Southern Islands, do take the time to speak up on their behalf.

Email reach@reach.gov.sg or start a post on the REACH website. To contact STB, submit an email through this form- http://app.stb.com.sg/asp/mis/cont.asp

Kusu: Playground of the rich?

2006-11-30T02:47:00.000+08:00

News on upcoming plans for the Southern Islands, including our dear Kusu:
http://www.wildsingapore.com/news/20061112/061129-1.htm

Should we celebrate or panic?

More in a bit...

BWV ReefTalk 30 Sept

2006-09-15T23:08:00.000+08:00

A tribute to Singapore's coral reefs. PART 2 (Another Appendix)

2006-08-19T12:47:00.000+08:00

This post is inspired by Hawaii's designation as a marine reserve, and a little by "Diving in Singapore: A tribute part II" at The Blue Tempeh.

I'm back in Hawaii again... but this time I'm not going to dive, because I don't think the diversity is worth my cash (and I'm broke anyway...). I've learnt my lesson...

But it doesn't hurt to snorkel, and so I did, every other day here at Coconut Island where I'm attending a workshop. As expected, water is somewhat clear, with vis about 15m. Mind you this is snorkelling near shore... In Singapore, if there's a place you can snorkel and see the benthos from the surface, I'd be very surprised... of course this excludes your fish tank and Underwater World.

This time I was initially quite happy cos this time, it's reef I'm looking at, not some wreck with near-zero coral cover... So I see Pocillopora damicornis (present in Singapore too)...

Then there's this one, Montipora capitata (range extends to Singapore)...

And then there's Porites compressa...

This one is pretty cool, cos its endemic to this area... But then, the whole island seems to be just that, and that's it! Everywhere else I've looked is so homogenous, it's scary... Then I recalled Singapore's reefs... Let's see it again...

Wow... I'm so missing Singapore reefs...

I had said this previously, "So I was thinking, if the Hawaii state government decides to reclaim land and cover their reefs, say hypothetically land is limited... maybe just the one shown above, what would the response be? Not pretty... people all over the world would probably make noise... "

Well, this didn't happen. But the opposite did... Northwestern Hawaiian Islands went under US environmental protection in June, becoming the world's biggest protected marine reserve... stretching 2,250 km and covering 362,600 sq km. That is an awful lot of land! And what? There's less than 50 species of hard corals there???!!!

Hey!!! Singapore has almost 200 species!!! And we can't even hold off destruction of the reef at Pulau Ular... Is it that hard to confer protection to just a small little offshore island? Like Pulau Hantu is only 12.2ha... The potential for ecotourism is so great... I mean, suckers like me would pay US$103.12 to attempt to see 50 species of corals (I saw only 2 btw...), I'm quite sure there are people who are craving to see 4 times that diversity in Singapore (it's actually more, cos diversity is probably thousands of times greater if we account for area)... Perhaps with some clearer waters... If only we could halt or slow down coastal development and reclamation in Singapore...

Sigh... I wonder when decision-makers up there will become as proud as nature lovers in Singapore of the wealth of marine life here...

Chek Jawa Coastal Clean-up 2006!!

2006-07-24T13:17:00.000+08:00

Saturday morning 22 July dawned bright and sunny. By noon, dark clouds started to gather over the east of Singapore. Though we said that we would continue with the coastal clean-up today regardless of rain or shine, was crossing my fingers hard and hoping there would be no lightning later on....

Chek Jawa is like a little tradition for BWV. It started in 2002, when Siva asked if I was interested in doing a clean-up there. Since returning Youth Expedition Project members needed to do a local community project post trip, and I had just concluded a reef survey expedition to Sabah (BLE1), I thought,"Why not?". From 10 volunteers and 200kg of trash, it has grown into a bigger event, with Jani organising a major activity in 2004 involving 68 volunteers, collecting a total of 1.6 TONNES of trash! Why marine litter? Left alone, non-biodegradables accumulate over time, causing untold harm to the marine environment!

This year, 35 members of the public stepped forward to help the Chek Jawa mangroves get rid of a scourge that doesn't seem to go away. Jani took a team to the back mangroves of the visitor area, while Grace and Mingsheng handled the long stretch of shore next to House No. 1. And of course, we had the tireless How Choon Beng and other members of the NParks Ubin team to help with logistics, transport, and the hands-on action itself.

How did we do this year??

Summary of trash items collected

Guess what's the most common trash item on Chek Jawa?

Thankfully, the weather held out all the way; by 2pm we had cloudy skies with occasional spots of sun, which was just perfect for a clean-up session- not too sweltering. The volunteers were raring to go, and after a short briefing in the container office next to House No.1, everyone took their gloves, made-on-the-spot writing boards, datacards, and trash bags, filed out and speedily proceeded to their clean-up section.

Mingsheng briefing his group before starting work

For Groups 2 and 3, it was the first time we had done a clean-up in this area, and the amount of trash found was pretty amazing.

Someone left his entire campsite intact

Plastic bags are found even on the trees

The sheer amount of plastics was just too overwhelming to count as they were coming in, so we piled everything on the upper shore to be counted later.

Look! I have more!

One hundred and one, one hundred and two.....

Over at Section 1, we thought that since we've been clearing that area for 3 years, most of the larger debris would have been taken out, but Jani's group still managed to find some odd things- like a fire extinguisher!

Group 1's loot

Hard at work in the mangroves

One and a half hours later, the tide was coming in, but the volunteers were still out trying to get the last pieces of abandoned nets and ropes out from the tangle of the mangrove roots.

One more rope!

Group 3 braving the ants on the ground

Some people find picking trash especially enjoyable!

Even a friendly local 'fishmonger' came to help

One volunteer commented that "we really generate a lot of trash!" after seeing the mountains of plastic and whatnot massed up on the shore.

Still counting plastic bags...

Group 2's loot

After bagging all the litter, the work was not done yet. We still had to weigh all the trash we collected.

It worked out to be a total of 882.8KG!!!

THANKS EVERYONE, for all your hard work!!
You've each made a BIG difference to the marine flora and fauna of Chek Jawa.

Let's hope we leave Chek Jawa a much better place, and that these numbers will decrease over time. More than only cleaning up our shores, we can reduce the amount of non-biodegradables in the environment by NOT littering, and encouraging friends and family to do the same.

On a another note, Singaporeans produce 1kg of trash per person per day! That's staggering! It means 4.8million kg of trash everyday! Where do we find the space to put it all?? Unless we want to keep converting our seas into landfills, the alternatives are pretty simple- cut down on excessive packinging in our lives and ask corporations to do the same, re-use as much as we can or choose biodegradable options, recycle as much as you can, and informing the people around you of these options! One person is enough to make a difference!

Post ReefTalk Reports...

2006-06-11T18:40:00.000+08:00

BWV ReefTalk 29th April 06 - Green & Marine by Dr Shawn Lum

Are seaweed/algae plants? Is seagrass related to the grass on land? Shawn clarifies the 'myths' of marine primary producers in a light hearted & engaging slide show.

Shawn & his formidable brolly! Who needs a laser pointer?

Da audience is listening...mainly walk-ins into the library. I think it's Shawn's characteristic flowery shirt that pulled them =o>

Our beautiful posters of local marine life & habitats! The neatest display ever! Many Thanks to library@Orchard for hosting us!

ADEX 2006 - 21 to 23 April

The response has been really good for BWV at ADEX! Hope more of the people in Singapore as well as out of this 'lil red dot have been enlightened by all the effort from volunteers who tirelessly talked & shared our amazing shores & marine life to those yet seen or heard. Thanks lots to everyone who putted in to this event!
(inclusive of those who presented, those gotten ill 'cause of too much talking &/or forgoing their meals, those who helped transport, set up & packed up REx, those who supported us despite the inability to come down to crowded
Suntec on a weekend, etc.)

Day 2 (22 Apr) RT Part I Zeehan on Nemo & Neighbours

Yes, it's Da Face of BWV giving her signature Nemo talk!

Ms REx (ReefExhibits) doing what she does best!

Caroline (booth volunteer) & her BWV-marine themed shirt

Vincent (booth volunteer) delightfully 'entertains' the patrons of our REx

More queries, more sales, more interest from da people

Day 2 (22Apr) RT Part II Jeff on Life as a Marine Biologist

Quote: "Let's welcome Da ONE & ONLY MARINE BIOLOGIST in Singapore!!!"
In case you are wondering, Jeff is NOT the only one here ok.
Not to mention the swarm of local marine enthusiasts around!

Da ever popular 'Play our game' game was a hit at ADEX!

Avid fans of Some local Dive Federation, awaiting excitedly for the presentation to start

The fan base stretches to the right row

For her hard work, our REx coordinator won a highly sought after lucky draw prize! So did many of our booth volunteers & members. Come volunteer & maybe you'll be
inflicted with the good luck!
*Disclaimer: BWV does not guarantee the striking of any lottery, ToTo, 4D
or any personal bets made by a volunteer.

Day 3 (23Apr) RT Part I Jani on Uncovering Spore's Submerged Secrets

Ms ReefFriends addressing the future of our nation

A captivated audience!

Day 3 (23 Apr) RT Part II Ria Tan on Life on the Edge

Our honorable guest speaker Ms WildSingapore starts dispensing her 300 worth of slides!

In the beginning, there were a few...

...which grew to a few too many!
(Actually they were awaiting the results of the hourly lucky draw,
but then again if the ppt/photos were lousy, people would'nt bother to listen anyway right right??)
Well, let's just say we have good strategy to attract the masses heheh =ob

Yes, we do have reefs & amazing marine life in Singapore!
You can find them on our mainland, northern & southern islands!
Check out http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/index.html

Playing the 'Play our Game' game, winning prizes & of course our lovable Gillian

Grace introducing the OCEANS to a young booth visitor

Dividing the spoils after 3days of exhibiting, presenting & talking non stop.

BWV ReefTalk 3rd June 06 - Jocara Indian Ocean Quest by Caroline Durville Potter

Caroline shared with the audience ups & downs of living on board their sailboat, Jocara and related exciting stories & adventures from the Potter family's Indian Ocean Quest.

Missed the talk? Dig up more on the online diary @ www.jocara.net

ReefFriends survey dive at Semakau

2006-05-30T17:11:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday I took part in the BWV ReefFriends survey dive at Pulau Semakau. We had two boats and Jeff and I were the scientific officers for our boat. Just after we finished laying the shallow transects for the survey, we chanced upon a bubu (fish trap). It was on the reefslope and didn't have any buoys or lines attached to it. According to the Blue Tempeh, it is likely to be abandoned, or it would have been difficult to relocate and retrieve anyway.

As Jeff and I circled it, I saw something appear and quickly disappear within it. The visibility that day was pretty bad so I couldn't quite make out what it was. But after hanging around for a while, I realised it was a big cuttlefish!

HELLO!

Did I ever mention how much I love cuttlefish? Not as food, of course... Anyway. We circled the trap looking for the door and cuttlefish followed us from within. When we found the door and opened it, it came out immediately and hung around us for quite a while. This is it just after emerging through the door.

It was about 30cm long (with tentacles)

Check out the patterns on its body. It's exactly the same algae-covered, hexagonal patterns as the trap! How delightfully clever! My mum couldn't believe it and insisted that it stayed inside so long that the algae had grown on its body. In actual fact, the cuttlefish is able to change not only the colour, but also the texture of its skin. Amazing!

Inside the trap there was also a red-egg reef crab. But that one needed to be cajoled out the door (actually more like gentle prodding).

Big crab!

1000th visitor to Kusu Reef Walk!

2006-05-17T14:05:00.000+08:00

The day started "normally" enough at 4am ... picked up Han Chong and his friend Grace (who apparently had a nice nap in the back of my van on the way there) from my place to Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal ... only to find that the gate to the carpark was closed!! A frantic and haressed Ming Sheng finally got cars organised to ferry people through another gate, and Bernard managed to rouse the security guard to open the locked gates. The minor bump in the road set us back by 30 minutes, but we managed to make that up with a very fast ferry ride (about 25 min).

Guides and participants waiting outside the carpark gates of the Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal.

Torches, something you normally don't carry around, came in handy this morning ... I bet the inhabitants of the lagoon thought that E.T. was visiting them :)

So, the walk started in darkness for most groups, but soon the sun peeked over the horizon and by the time it showed its merry face, we were about half done with the walk. I had originally been tasked to take photos to fill in the gaps for our guide training presentation, but was roped in to guide last minute due to an over supply of visitors. Nonetheless, I managed to get some photos:

Limpets on a rock. Limpets are mollusks that seal themselves in with a small amount of water so they don't dry out while the tide is out. In WW2, scuba commandos would sink enemy ships using "limpet mines" - mines that that had a strong magnet and were stuck to the bottom of ships.

Barnacles are crustaceans that spend all of their adult life on their backs ... they stick their legs out into the water and filter food particles. Unlike the limpets (which has a single complete shell) the barnacle's "shell" is composed of a series of plates. The hinged "doors" at the top of the shell lock tight when the tide goes out, trapping a small amount of water.

Some of the guides having a well-deserved breakfast after the walk.

This walk ended on a high note for the Reef Walk programme, as we celebrated the occassion of our 1000th visitor to Kusu. As previously reported by Ming Sheng, BWV was formed on 14th February 2004, Reef Walks commenced on 14th November 2004, and this was our 14th reef walk. A happy coincidence of the number 14!

Ying Ying, our 1000th Reef Walker! Congrats and thanks for your support! Also, check out MS in our BWV polo-T!

We also celebrated the graduation of our latest batch of guides, and also presented certificates of appreciation to people who have helped previously with the Reef Walks, either as organisers or as trainers.

Trond, one of our graduating guides, who is also doing his Masters degree at NUS.

Yihao, one of the many who received a certificate of appreciation (for his previous work in the Reef Walk committee).

As a final note, you will notice our guides spotted our brand new, hot off the press polo-Ts ... a nice solid navy blue colour, the polo-Ts had a simplified BWV logo embrioded on the front, and, for those who requested, our names on the right sleeve. This would give our volunteers a greater sense of identity and presence at our events.

I am sure the next group of reef walkers will have as good a time as we did at the next Reef Walk on May 28. Thanks for all your support and see you all soon!

More than 1000 visitors to the reef!

2006-05-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

On 30 Apr 2006, the Blue Water Volunteers celebrated their 1000th visitor to Kusu Island's ReefWalk! It's especially special because this is the 14th public ReefWalk and... BWV was formed on the 14th of February, 2004! and ReefWalk on the 14th of November :)

This is a significant milestone for the BWV, as we are still new, young (at least at heart), and of course still a lot to learn. Not to mention that all volunteers have their own full time commitment, be it in work, study, family etc. Having guided more than 1000 people to the reef in their backyard, in less than 1.5 year, is definitely something worth cheering for. It also shows how much people love us :D

Of course these can never been done without the support of our very own volunteers. Commemorating our 1000th visitor rewards the effort and countless hours you put into training, meeting, preparation, emailing, etc. to make all these happened. And most importantly, it acknowledges our passion, faith, and whatever we've done for what we love...

Coexistence of nature and development, and human who trying to seek balance between

Special thanks must also go to our sponsors WildSingapore and PADI-AWARE. Without their funding, we would not achieved our primary objective, which is to raise public awareness on the marine environment of Singapore, and produce a cool breed of guides, who manage to translate complicated facts into digestible information for their laymen visitors, as well as making learning fun and exciting.

To sum up this post, let's see what some of our visitors said:

"It has been a really intriguing and enriching experience! Thanks for organising and look forward to more", Ying Ying (the 1000th RW visitor :)

"WOW! Seeing coral without diving - great, awesome!", Ranee

"This is an excellent walk! Well worth the 'waking up at an unearthly hour'! It's amazing how much nature & marine life exists in S'pore. Thank you for organising the walk", Seetha

"Thanks for bring alive a seemingly dead place! We had fun!", Ber Luen & Gwen

Well.. We thank you all for your support!

*Akan datang* Look out for the personal account of this special walk from Papa Jeff, the papa of BWV and RW.

Interested in joining RW or BWV? See our website, join our mailing list, and be the first to know of the latest happenings!

Out with Teachers with St Anthony's Primary (29 April 2006)

2006-05-01T14:55:00.000+08:00

Yes, BWV reef guides were out once more at Kusu Island on 29 April 2006 with a group of 24 teachers and their families from St Anthony's Primary. The school had asked BWV to organise the reef work as one of the activities of the school's Science Department' s 'Environmental Awareness Through Care and Protection' project this year.

It was great to be with these enthusiastic teachers who decided that at least for that morning, they're on the listening end of the talk. Besides the usual marine life found at Kusu, this time we saw an exceptional number of Portunus pelagicus a.k.a. Flower crabs. However, none of the crabs are for picking.

Well, we didn't spot any dugongs during the walk. Dugongs were previously common and there were some encounters in local waters. But we're hopeful that with increasing environmental awareness and polution controls, some will take permanent residence one day the waters off our Southen Islands.

We also had a group of BWV ReefWalk trainees who were there for their practical test! And four of them will be awarded their certificates of graduation at the next public ReefWalk on 30 April 2006. And if you're wanna know more about becoming a ReefWalk guide, visit our website or drop us a note.

The rehearsal (by kukubird):

Welcoming us were the common sea stars (Archarster typicus)

Trond explains the stars

Yong Xiang talking about the Napolean's Hat seaweed (Avrainvillea sp.)

The anemone shrimps (Thor amboinensis) checking out on the budding reef guides

Our first sighting of a sandfish sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra) at Kusu!

Sasirat showing a hermit crab(?)

I can live here, forever..

A day out at Kusu Island (1 March 2006)

2006-04-04T20:14:00.000+08:00

Accompanied Ria and the Wild Films crew to Kusu Island during the early March lowtide together with a bunch of students from Duke University and their professor, Dr Dan Rittschof.

That was great fun! It was almost like attending an outdoor marine biology class, and Dr Rittschof provided several fascinating details on the marine life that we found on the inter-tidal reef flat. I was so absorbed and caught up in trying to distill as much information as I could that I finally gave up trying to take pretty pictures at the same time :).

But managed to take a few below, happy viewing!

Soft corals of Kusu

See how pretty they are in water with their polyps out!

The moon snail- placid-looking but a ferocious predator of smaller snails

For some reason, the tidal pools seem to be full of flatworms, all trying to meet each other? Maybe the water was full of pheromones, or the new moon is just such a romantic time.

Love is in the air….

…And for these nudibranchs too!

We found a nice big sea hare next to the jetty pillar to round off the evening. This one squirts purple ink!

Up on shore, a ghost crab freezes in the glare of our torchlights. A rare sight!

First step to create marine sanctuary on Pulau Hantu (?)

2006-03-31T22:59:00.000+08:00

The Straits Times 31 Mar 06

CONSERVATIONISTS hoping to create a marine sanctuary on Pulau Hantu have embarked on the first step...

Plans are under way to create a simple sand filtration system to eliminate most of the sediment from the water flowing into the lagoon, creating a clear water habitat. The SEC's $100,000 census is the first phase of what it hopes will lead to the creation of a marine sanctuary nestled within the lagoon of Pulau Hantu...

Also speaking at the media conference, the president of the Nature Society of Singapore, Nominated Member of Parliament Geh Min, lauded the effort. She said a nation's 'true progress' is measured by how well it balances its natural heritage with industrial development. 'Project Noah is an attempt to show that we can have it all - a successful port, industries and nature.'

--------------------------

"Natural heritage" ???!!!
Where??? What???

Sounds more like a giant aquarium tank...
I think I might already have a name for it though: Underwater World II (not in Sentosa, and likely to cost more than $19.50?)

Well... at least something is being done...
Effort: 100%
Imagination: 99%
Logic, science: ?

A tribute to Singapore's coral reefs. PART 1 (An Appendix).

2006-02-28T19:15:00.000+08:00

This post is inspired by "A tribute to Singapore's coral reefs. PART 1." at The Blue Tempeh, and is an appendix as it will not be as extensive as that.

I recently paid US$103.12 for 2 dives at Hawaii while on some other business there. I think many would as well. The dive boat was full, with some of the divers diving for many consecutive days, and raving about how diverse Hawaii's reefs are. Well, upon entering the water, I was immediately wowed by the clarity of the water. Clear blue, something that Singapore has failed to maintain...

But as I made my descent, I see this...

How many species in this picture? I only see one... (Pocillopora meandrina)

Well, I did see another... (Porites lobata)

But that is about all at two dive sites located at the south shore of Oahu... let's take a look at Singapore... St John's Island...

Need I say more? The number of species is so high we can see different species fighting to stay here... competition between coral species is tough here, but they have done well to stay for the past hundred million years or so...

Coral competition and the dead zone between them

Unfortunately, competition has increased, between reefs and man... obviously humans are at an advantage in Singapore because we have fancy ships and lots of sand from elsewhere to respectively ram against and pile on top of these poor animals...

So I was thinking, if the Hawaii state government decides to reclaim land and cover their reefs, say hypothetically land is limited... maybe just the one shown above, what would the response be? Not pretty... people all over the world would probably make noise...

Now as you read this, some reef in Singapore is going to be lost, but who makes/made noise? Hmm... maybe a few people who petitioned and a lone ranger in parliament.

The thing is, I don't even think where we dove in Hawaii was a reef, just some corals scattered on lava rocks... but thousands are willing to fork out that kind of money to dive there (many times over), and likely protest if it's under threat. As mentioned in The Blue Tempeh, Singapore is situated near the "Coral Triangle", and corals are plenty here. 197 species here vs less than 50 in the whole Hawaiian archipelago (Veron, 1995). But the truth is, not many know we have reefs, let alone understand this fact... Reefwalk just received its 1000th visitor to Kusu. But that's as much as such programmes can do (including Chek Jawa walks and some others)...

It's time we start raving about the 197 coral species we may still possess, before its gone, forever. We ought to be charging 4x US$103.12 or receiving 4x thousands of visitors to Singapore reefs for the 4x more diverse corals here. Ok, that's not how we should do business, but you get my point...

Those of you reading this probably knows more or less of this... time to go beyond the usual crowd.

laughter in the rain.

2005-11-09T22:21:00.000+08:00

nov 5 was a special day for a couple of reasons, namely because i like that day, and mostly because it was our RW family day. the time where guides bring their families and nag about not taking sea-shells home and where new trainees tag along to learn the ropes. and where else better to spend a lovely saturday evening than in the serene, scenic shores of Kusu?

"i toldcha today is JUST FOR US"

"i'm a yellowbird today.. u can see me from far far away.."

there was a huge turnout of about 90 participants, mostly guests of guides and trainees. considering the massive downpour of cows and donkeys in the morning, we were all quite happy for the clear skies in the evening walk. it was pretty encouraging to see so many new trainees, all of whom i don't recognise. doesn't matter tho', different people, same heart for our environment. i'm a bit annoyed with dusk walks because the sun seems to disappear too fast before i can talk enough about the sand and why sea shells should be left to hermit crabs.

(pix from chee han & may)

anyway, we saw a net in the lagoon stretching from the shore all the way to the breakwater. and 2 flowercrabs stuck in the net, apparently still alive. bernard said his group saw 5 flowercrabs and a flatfish which was half-gone. unfortunately we didn't have any means of setting the crabs free but i had a perfect specimen to talk about soft-shelled crabs. i always love the stunned silence after they find out soft-shelled crabs are poor, vulnerable crabs who just wanna grow bigger. this crab that was stuck in the net snapped at us quite menacingly after i tried to prod it to see if it was still alive. we also saw a number of carpet anemones, the most interesting one was in the midst of eating a couple of ikan bilis and an entire crab! that definitely kept my group entertained for a while. and to think that it eats with and excretes from the same place... was asked how the gentle-looking carpet anemone could actually devour such a huge crab, hard shell and all. teaches us not to judge anything by its appearance huh. (especially the female species). fascinating things, carpet anemones. especially when they're in the process of eating some ridiculously huge things like crabs, fish, shoes, itchy-fingered participants...

chee han & may spotted a peacock anemone in the darkness, submerged underwater with its tentacles swaying gently with the currents. proof that anemones aren't all that ugly and squishy looking after all. this particular one is one of the nicest i've seen in our southern islands.

our overstayers (i.e. campoverniters) saw 3 ghost crabs on the beach later that nite. prettiest things ever. one was blur enough to think that its shell camouflaged with the sand so well such that the 7 eager beavers crowding around couldn't see him. it scuttled away quite fast the moment our orang asli (aka MS) put it down. now such long long eyes you have, grandma crab? why, all the better to see you with my dear...

no reefwalk's ever complete without food, critters and company (in order of importance)

food never stops. very rude ar, this photographer, take pix of people with their mouths full. but i must say, the boat ride back to clifford pier took a different route, and we were treated to a nice sea view of our classy, overpriced cbd buildings.

i've always loved boat rides. especially those on scenic routes. p/s: thanks to ivan and MS for most of the pix! :)

Coffee, Tea or Corn, Sir?

2005-10-22T16:53:00.000+08:00

Since some of you just can't get enough of my corny jokes, here's a few more to get you aching all over till the next time we meet!

What do you call a sea slater's aunty?

- Ah-soh-pod

For my fellow Star Wars fans...

Why was C3-P0 laughing on the shore?

- Cos he was hanging out with hydroids

What do you call an albino peanut worm?

- Kacang putih

BWV Meets The People

2005-10-19T03:21:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, we had our first BWV-MTV (Meet The Volunteers) session. Admittedly, things did not go exactly as expected. The "MTV" was planned as a chance for people to meet the Blue Water Volunteers - the people behind the scenes, and to learn more about the structure, history & goals of BWV. It was also a time to show our appreciation to those who have supported us along the way - participants from past ReefWalks & ReefTalks, Reef Friends, photographers, trainers, advisers, guides, all the kind hearted people who have helped in one way or another, and many more.

We did not receive a huge crowd of members of the public, and a rather small showing from the many Blue Water Volunteers themselves. I guess it was just a bad day with many students having exams, teachers having stacks of papers to mark, others having other commitments? Thanks to those who DID take a few hours off on a Saturday afternoon to make it! And many thanks to the kind folk at Fuji Xerox who let us use their uber cool place as our venue!

We actually met quite a few new trainee guide sign ups, who came to find out more about BWV & ReefWalk. One of them, Tuttle, even bought the CJ Guidebook & Southern Shores pamphlet in preparation for this week's field training sessions! Good for you... already score brownie points on my report card! Others did a bit of networking, exchanging contacts, informing attendees about the call for a marine park in Singapore, etc.

The ReefExhibits booth was of course present, as well as our die-die-sure-can-see ReefExhibits display of amazing photos from our shores by Ria - the same photos that attracted many people like me to Wild Singapore and BWV in the first place. No doubt pictures really do speak more than words, but we still need YOU to be there to bring it to life with real life stories.

But where have all our volunteers gone?

Happy Children's Day!

2005-10-01T06:26:00.000+08:00

Thought it’d be a good time to write smtg abt kids, today being Children’s Day & all. Also because as RW guides, we are role models for kids during ReefWalks. To stand up for those who are unable to fend for themselves, we are the face & voice of the shores and reefs of Singapore. So we have to ask ourselves, do we put on a friendly face for kids? Do they see us as Nemo or as Captain Hook?

I dare to bring up the fact that most of us admit our dislike for or impatience with children. Not all kids in general, but usually the screaming, whining, spoilt little ones, or irritable (and sometimes irritating) teens. Of course, I know that this ‘dislike’ or ‘impatience’ is seldom displayed during a ReefWalk because we know better than to let our personal likes/dislikes/biases get in the way when we’re supposed to be spreading inspiring messages to the public. Here’s my 2 cents’ worth...

The Future Is Ours To Make. Remember images of happy, smiling children, and teens dancing with Taufik & Rui En permeating our everyday lives a few months back (no excuse… if you didn’t see it while watching TV at home, you would have seen it on TV Mobile – in the bus, at the MRT station, in the train, on big screen displays on buildings…)? It kinda gave people the impression that the statement “The future is ours to make” comes from children. But that’s not exactly right. As adults in the here & now, we are the present, and the future is OURS to make, or break, FOR the children.

We can continue living our selfish, self-absorbed lives and not leave anything behind. Here, I’m not talking abt leaving enough kids behind to avoid a greying population. Neither am I talking abt conserving what we still have for future generations. These are all issues that have been highlighted too many times already.

I’m talking abt leaving the Message behind. Making your mark, and making sure it’s set in stone, or more like set in the hearts & minds of the young, who will carry this Message like a torch to enlighten others. So when you say the FUTURE is ours to make, it actually means that the PEOPLE of the future are ours to mould. And this starts with how we connect with and inspire the children of Today.

If a child leaves a ReefWalk feeling that Kusu is not worth conserving ‘cos it’s all mud & smells like crap, remember, this little ‘brat’ will one day be the Man of Tomorrow.

The kids that scream & complain the most may one day be the Voice of the future or an important decision maker, given their ‘skilled’ vocals & power to communicate. What message do you want this kid to carry forward?

Why is the sea blue over there? Why is it brown over here? How come the anemone dun have Nemo? Why does the barnacle wanna stay on the rock? But why? But why? The overly curious kid that you wish you could whack with your pot or guidebook may one day be an environmental journalist or researcher. What would be this child’s inspiration in the future?

And don’t think the little tantrum-throwing cry baby is just too pampered or overly dramatic. Maybe one day become big time celebrity or Ah Jie leh… What cause would you like an Ah Jie or Heavenly King to stand up for?

So don’t bully them. Don’t talk down to them. Don’t give them the evil eye. Don’t instill fear. How well you manage to attract, interest, interact, and above all else, inspire a child, may be just what he/she needs to kickstart a lifelong passion and love for nature. The children who come for ReefWalks are our true VIPs. They are the ones who will say, “Papa, please don’t order shark’s fin soup anymore”. And ‘Papa’ will listen to his child more than to his wife. They are the ones who will insist, “Mummy, I don’t want to learn ballet. I want to know more about corals.” And ‘Mummy’ will still send little one off to ballet class, but probably also find a way for her to study corals. Parents will do almost anything to give their kids a good future. And so should we.

Children’s Day isn’t just a day for kids. It’s for all those who are role models in their lives – parents, teachers, mentors, guides. We must also remember that we were once kids, and realise that that kid is still very much a part of who we are. From the way we walk & talk, live & breathe. We still stumble & fall. We still complain & whine at times. We still get excited over trivial things & ask many questions. Nobody’s perfect. Young or old.

I don’t wanna sound like Whitney Houston, but the children are the future. Little minds longing for knowledge. Little hearts longing for direction. Little souls longing for inspiration.

We can either make ‘em, or break ‘em.

Strangers in the night, exchanging glances...

2005-09-16T16:01:00.000+08:00

It is a dark and quiet night. A full and yellow moon rises above, lighting up the lonely streets of Changi.

Authorities thought they had done a good job of 'cleaning' Changi of its late night 'workers', but here, a Lady of the Night appears, dressed in her best 'work' attire. She scours the area, looking for the perfect catch. And then, the action begins.....

"Oh, Alfie! So big!" --- "Wah! So long!" --- "Whoa baby, do that again..."

Changi - Just Come Once and You'll Be Begging for More.

Now let me introduce you my handsome model, Alfie, better known as an Alpheus shrimp. Here's Alfie posing with his BIG claw and LONG feelers:

And Alfie again, DOING what he does best:

This snapping shrimp entertained me while I was waiting for the tide to go out. He just kept on going, in and out of his burrow, digging, picking bits of shells and stones, decorating his ‘home’. If I had extra camera batteries and like 10 gigs of memory on card, and if I didn’t get a major leg cramp from squatting in an awkward position on the shore for so long, I probably would have made a ‘low budget’ movie out of it. Heh heh…

This blog was actually written a couple of months back but I was saving it for a ‘lull period’ when we had nothing to Klog. Sorry for the ‘RA’ bit at the start! Had to get your attention right? So some of these shots were taken EARLY this morning, and some, on another morning when I was supposed to be ‘somewhere else’ instead of here on a beach, getting excited over little Penaeuses and friends.

Penaeus sp.

So apart from these prawny guys, crabs of all sizes, colours and disguises scurried about. Unfortunately, most of my pictures came out rather blurred; Lack of sleep & food = shaky hands. Got a whole lotta hermit crabs and other dudes up to some hanky panky on the beach too, but I'll save that for another korny Klog ;-)

The original plan for my visit to Changi Beach was to study seaweed and seagrass 'cos I feel nobody appreciates how useful these are, and how bare, boring and barren the shore would be without them. But I got distracted by so many other dudes!

Moon Snail

Sand Collar (eggs of Moon Snail)
See how it really does look like a collar! With the 'shoulder' part to the left & right, and a sort of Nehru collar shape there.

Small jelly-like anemone like these can be spotted all over the shore.

Curly-wurly branching anemone

Buttons...

And more buttons!

Now is it just me, or are you guys just really happy to see me?

Seapen with feathery bits retracted

This mollusc questions the meaning of life...

At one point, I was kneeling in a huge puddle of water enclosed by a bed of sea lettuce 'cos 3 different fishes seemed to be congregating at the same spot... like 3 uncles who go to the kopitiam every morning for their daily dose of kopi, kaya toast and gossip.

Introducing 'kopitiam uncle' number one --- Kite Butterflyfish! He looked rather beaten up, colours faded, fins chewed off a bit. This was more like "brudder" lah. He just stayed there, relek, 'tangkap jambu'...

Then, 'kopitiam uncle' number two --- Fan-bellied Filefish! This was one busy fella, like the actual kopi guy, darting about from one end to another end and back again. So cute... he actually swims at an angle, with his body slanted about 30 degrees to the left or right. Looked more like he was floating in a lopsided way. He just swam all around me, even right next to my booties.

And of course, all 'kopitiam' gangs must have their resident 'spy' a.k.a. kaypoh --- juvenile Peacock Sole! You can't see him but he can see you! Like those 'chi-ko-peks' that hide behind the void deck pillar while watching you adjust your bra strap or eavesdrops while you chit chat with the neighbour.

Here’s a little more info about Butterflyfish. Butterflyfish get their name because of the way they swim in and out of coral structures, like butterflies dancing around a flower. So I guess the Kite Butterflyfish looks like a kite drifting around clouds?

While most other fishes believe that there truly are “so many fish in the sea” and have multiple mating partners, Butterflyfish are perfect examples of commitment as they’re said to form male-female pairs, mate for life and are rarely seen apart from each other. Butterflyfish stick to their “in sickness and in health, till death do us part” vows, and remain together until either one falls prey to a predator. Awww… so sweet! Now if only men were………………….

*forcing head out of clouds* Okay! Back to reality. So anyway, no low tide trip to the shore is complete without things that make you go Ooh...

Wuhdat?

Underside of half of a dead jellyfish. oOoooh...

Okay, I'll have to save all the other pictures for yet another blog entry 'cos this one's getting too heavy! There were also many other little fishes and crabs that were too fast for me or too small for little cam. Now if I had a D70... *head floating in clouds again*

If I did make that ‘low budget’ movie, it would probably end like this:

CAMERA: ZOOM IN. Pair of Butterflyfish swim together around brightly coloured corals and sponges.

MUSIC: FADE UP “… up to the moment when we said our first Hello, little did we know, love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away, and ever since that night, we’ve been together…” THEN FADE UNDER.

CAMERA: ZOOM OUT. Tilt up slowly for full view of sunrise on horizon, and white clouds against clear blue skies.

ROLL CREDITS.

“… It turned out so right, for strangers in the night” – Frank Sinatra

PS. I'm still compiling my seaweed & seagrass 'portfolio' and will present it some other day. Time for Lady of the Night to call it a day. :o)

The Wisdom to Know the Difference

2005-08-27T22:48:00.000+08:00

I have one of those pocket prayer cards that read: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; The courage to change the things I can; And the wisdom to know the difference. I don't keep it in my wallet 'cos I had memorised this a long time back for moments like these.

I received an email from one of last Sunday's Reefwalk participants this morning. He raised many concerns regarding how much damage is imposed on our shores during Reefwalks. This is not an issue that is new to us. It is an issue that we grapple with all of the time. How do we educate people during Reefwalk yet minimise the impact of having large groups of people walking the reefs?

I was deeply troubled for the rest of the day. Just sat outside Lucky Plaza after work, putting my troubles down on paper 'cos I didn't know who to turn to for reassurance. I was so weighed down by what he said. --- "Have we succeeded in spreading green ecology? Or, is this just another ‘outing’ for bored Singaporeans .. keen to brag on Monday what terribly different and exciting things they did?" --- "If people cant learn to respect nature, I say it's better to leave it... By highlighting these places as ‘things to do’, we are only helping in their decimation. Let them stick to Orchard and cinemas, .. so the mud skippers, crabs, anemones may live."

I wasn't upset by his words. In fact, I was very grateful and touched that he took the trouble to share his thoughts and feelings 'cos it showed he cared. I was upset because I felt I didn't have the wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what can't, what is right or not so right in the long term, what may seem wrong but is actually right. Darn it, I didn't even know the difference between a dead or live octopus.

We have always maintained a "soft approach" to spreading the message of marine conservation. We don't storm into restaurants while people are enjoying their shark's fin soup to show them gory pictures of fin-less sharks bleeding to death. We don't picket outside buildings to fight for a cause. Our approach is simple - conservation through education.

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum to the women and men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." - Antoine De Saint-Exupery, The Wisdom of the Sands

So for us, we can't simply say "Don't litter", "Don't throw rubbish into drains 'cos it will end up in the ocean". We SHOW them how littered our shores are. We don't expect people to fight for or against something unless we know that the groundwork has already been laid - that people already FEEL for our shores.

But how do you make people FEEL?
--- God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Do I have the ability to change a mindset or move a heart?
--- The courage to change the things I can;

Can I do so without causing even more damage to the very things I'm trying to protect in the first place?
--- And the wisdom to know the difference.

Life As A Volunteer

2005-08-27T05:32:00.000+08:00

My life as a volunteer began only this year, when I joined the Blue Water Volunteers for a Reefwalk on 10 April. It's been only 4 months since, and I can hardly believe that during my first Reefwalk, I had never seen live sea stars or corals before, and now I not only lead groups of people to share this humbling experience, I even talk about marine life like they're my best friends. Just FOUR months, and yet I feel I've known the people at Reefwalk for ages! However, our Reefwalk coordinator is afraid that my Mom is gonna send BWV a strongly-worded letter about how her only daughter is too involved with sea slugs and hangs around fishy individuals (and soon I'll also be hanging out with “icthy, orny bots” too...).

Since training as a Reefwalk guide at the end of April, things progressed at the speed of light. After less than 3 months, 2 training sessions, 2 Reefwalks as OJT with Pam and Daniel, one theory session and finally team guiding with Anthony, I did my first 'solo' Reefwalk with a group of 11 participants on 26 June. Then the day came when none of the regular guides were able to assist MS with training on Sentosa, leaving only me to help with my so-so "skills". Thrown into the deep end of the pool? Deeper than that actually.

Due to my overly enthusiastic itch, I sort of like did a "self-sabo" and threw myself into the deepest end of the muddy lagoon by making a certain "boo boo" last month, which ended with me coordinating the last Reefwalk on 21 August. After the walk was over, accounts settled, etc, I took a step back and reflected on what had just happened, and what I've gone through the past four months. At first it seemed like nothing much, but from a different angle, it seems I may have turned my life completely around. When I found out about BWV and Reefwalk at the end of January this year, an old flame was sort of rekindled with nature, and for the next few months prior to my first RW, I was busy borrowing books, buying little pocket guidebooks, sourcing the Net, for everything I could find about seashore and reef life and marine conservation.

Volunteering with BWV or other nature conservation groups is not only a learning experience, it HUMBLES you (especially “city folk” like me). Suddenly, even the tiniest ant is an important BEING, and every leaf on every tree is more than “just a leaf”.

I realised after coordinating the walk that I've probably "grown" too quickly and this deep end of the muddy lagoon might actually be quick sand. I need to slow down. I still have a long way more to go as a guide, still have so much more to learn. So I guess it's best if I stop growing too quickly for fear of burning out, becoming jaded or losing sight of the big picture.

When I was balancing the accounts for the walk, my mind drifted (as it often does) to other weird ideas, thoughts, dreams.... I thought about balancing the "account" I hold with RW. Like how much they owe me, how much I owe them.... Here's my crazy thoughts put down in writing:

WHAT I'VE SPENT
Transport - Lost count
Guidesheets, Guidebooks, Fines from overdue library books that I renew to the max and borrow over & over again 'cos the marine & coral reef guidebooks at the bookstores cost an arm & a leg - Lost count
Feeding hungry guides & trainees with bread, tuna and coffee - Lost count
New Reefwalk guestbook - Undisclosed amount
Time spent Klogging, sending emails, replying emails & other "admin" stuff - Lost track
First Aid Kit, plus lots of Mopiko for those dang bites - Can't remember

WHAT I'VE EARNED
The joy I get out of doing all of the above even if it burns a little hole in my pocket and takes up a huge chunk of my already non-existent social life – Priceless
Knowledge about marine life, as well as other aspects of nature, conservation and the environment – Priceless
New friends of kindred heart and mind – Priceless
Seeing how a child is so amused by something as common (to some) as a goby – Priceless
Seeing adults awed by something as insignificant (to some) as an Avrainvillea seaweed – Priceless
Reading the heartfelt comments left by participants in the guestbooks – Priceless Getting to know the crazy & passionate people at Reefwalk – Priceless
Which then led me to know the dedicated & even crazier people at Wildfilms – Priceless
A chance to pursue dreams that were once forgotten – Priceless

I would say the "accounts" are balancing out rather well, with a priceless surplus. Some volunteers may be overworked 'cos there's no one else willing to get the job done, and yet they continue with their good work day after day, because at the end of the day, bruised, battered but not beaten, they can sit back and say "It was worth it".

Here's to all volunteers, those dedicated people who believe in all work and no pay. - Robert Orben

Doing it in the rain

2005-08-23T01:11:00.000+08:00

We go, rain or shine. This is one of the many reminders that we send to our Reefwalk participants prior to a walk. And so it was, on a cold, dark and wet Sunday morning, that 125 eager participants set off in the rain to explore the intertidal on Kusu. This was the largest group of participants we’ve brought out so far, thanks to the good response from more volunteers stepping forward to guide. Bluebird was on the lookout for the slightest hint of lightning, ready to blow the whistle and call off the walk if the weather got too bad. As this was my first time co-ordinating a Reefwalk, I felt that good ol’ ‘Murphy’ was really being a pain in the ***. Luckily, the bad weather didn’t persist and silver linings soon appeared around fluffy white clouds.

As Floggie mentioned, the downpour not only caused many of the creatures to go into hiding, it kinda mucked up the water quite a bit. But there were still many pleasant surprises in store for us.

Apart from the knobbly sea star and flathead discovered at the sea lagoon, one of our keen-eyed participants also spotted a stonefish! Phew! Thank goodness it wasn’t me leading that group or I probably would have stepped on it, and be posting a very different Klog from a hospital bed right now! Unfortunately I didn’t get to see it in the flesh, but Bluebird has a really cool pic of it that I hope he’ll upload soon. No sand dollars? I think Floggie went to the wrong bank. Not only were some of us ‘paid’ with sand dollars, we even had lots of coin seaweed (Halimeda) for spare change!

Over at the temple lagoon, we had other interesting dudes waiting for us – a scorpion fish, peanut worm and an octopus! Unfortunately, the octopus was dead when I found it but we thought it was alive ‘cos it was still changing colours. I guess it was physically dead but its pigment cells (chromatophores) were still active for a while. The poor sad guy just lay out of the water, his legs sprawled around a rock and head kinda squished between other rocks. Some male octopuses die immediately after mating, so I’m hoping that this was a male, and that this was his cause of death rather than anything else.

Note to Floggie: You missed out on ‘breakfast’ at the temple lagoon. Sausages and grapes aplenty! They were all over the rocky shore. Sausage seaweed (or what I personally call the green ‘tau-geh’ seaweed) and sea grapes. And these sea grapes weren’t the usual Caulerpa lentillifera that we’ve seen and ‘tried’ on Sentosa. These were the larger, juicy ones that look like enoki or buna hon-shimeji mushrooms, Caulerpa racemosa. Yihao and group even spotted a moray eel here! Unagi and green enoki for breakfast?

When the rain stopped and night turned to day, we were greeted by the usual sound of snapping shrimps, busy popping away, and the sight of purple climber crabs scurrying about the rock bunds. Later I found a cute big eyed fish (not Nan), stranded on the rocky shore. He was put in a tank to recover from being left out of water and later identified by Bluebird as a glass perchlet. After a little show & tell for some participants, little big eyed fish was set back into the big blue sea to look for his other little big eyed fish friends :o)

At the start of the walk, everyone, participants, guides and trainees included, were undoubtedly a little apprehensive about the heavy downpour. But by daylight and the end of the walk, I could see that everyone just didn’t want it to end. Looking cold, wet and tired, a few groups still went on and on. The tide came in pretty quickly, so these few gung-ho groups switched lagoons and explored further up shore.

Hair all wet from the rain, this little sweetheart still looks so adorable! Look at how she stares at the sea star so lovingly:

As co co-ordinator, moving from lagoon to lagoon, I got to see and listen to how other guides conduct their walks, and I must say I feel I’ve done my previous groups of participants a huge injustice with my cannot-make-it guiding ‘skills’. Now I know that even though we don’t have a really big pool of volunteer guides, our team of guides may be small, but they’re really A-class man! Here’s me doing my Wayne’s World kow-tow to you – I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy! Each of you have your different style and approach to guiding, but by the way the participants hang on to your every word, I feel I’ve got a long way to go to get an 'A' too. Must read up more and practise my lines with the neighbourhood cats and mini mart aunty downstairs.

Jani explains how sea stars 'do it':

Zee gives a large group of participants (including me!) a Bio 101 on the octopus:

After the walk, most of the participants wandered around the island while waiting for the ferry.

If you took some time to appreciate the ‘finer’ things in life, you would soon discover that everything around you has art and beauty written all over it - even weeds and slugs.

When all the participants and guides left on the first ferry out, Bluebird finally got the threesome he’s been hinting about the past few weeks:

Though, not exactly the way he had imagined.

Bluebird, Pammy Whammy and I kind of became invertebrates for a while and spent most of the rest of the morning slumped in our hammocks. But these two slept for hours! It started to rain again, and soon it was storming and we sat in our hammocks, pigging out on leftover food and dark chocolate. Pammy left Bluebird and I in stitches with her “tee-ti-tit” song. I laughed till I had tears in my eyes!

What I learnt this weekend: Yihao loves that last cup of coffee at around 11pm every night like me. Soh was stung by a stonefish on East Coast once. Pammy, Bluebird and I know the words to Bed of Roses. Don’t talk too much to Bluebird in the morning or when he’s driving. How to tie a hammock properly (and not to hang mozzie coil on it the ‘Jani’ way!). Papa Jeff can ‘show’ you the meaning of endurance. And finally, not only can we ‘do it’ in the dark or in broad daylight, we do it rain or shine!

Love Can Build A Bridge

2005-08-21T18:22:00.000+08:00

"Love can build a bridge, Between your heart and mine.
It all depends on you and me, Now is the time"

Yes, the volcano barnacles (Tetraclita sp) were singing away as 125 participants, both young and matured, and scores of reef guides and OJTs were there early this morning for the reef walk event.

For us, the day started rather earlier than usual. I was awake at 3am and by 4 am was at the bus stop before the Sentosa bridge. Though the participants were advised to be there between 4.15 to 4.45, many, like Sherlee were just too excited to take that extra wink! So we were there under the starlights.

The walk started before dawn, and though it rained, it did not dampen the spirits of the enthusiastic participants and equally committed guides and OJTs. Those that had ponchos put them on and those without, proceeded without!

Let me introduce you to Group 3S (Irene, Margaret, Ju Hiang, Dora, Annie, Janice Daniel, Voon, Hongzheng & Kok Siang)

As you can see, many were prepared and well equipped with torches and we proceeded directly into the rain onto the beach. First stop, the star of the reefs. The common sea stars (Archaster typicus) and they were busy doing their fair share in re-producing future generations of sea stars for next year's reef walks....And we shall not disturb them for sadly, they are no longer common on our shores.

Did I mention next year? Yes, this will be the the last large publicly organised reef walk for this year, but we guides and trainees will continue to train, and we will continue to klog on our activities.

As dawn approached, we were able to see more activites, though as Papa Jeff said, it was harder to spot the marine life this morning and this could be because of the rain and/or low tide. Besides the corals, sea weeds, sea grass, sea fan, sponges and usual marine life like hermit crabs, we did see an occasional swimming crab and many ornate goby (Istigobius ornatus). Yong Xiang wanted very much to show the group the sea grapes (Caulerpa racemosa) and sea sausage seaweed (Neomeris sp), but I guess its out of season. And we were at the sand bank, but there were no sand dollars to be found. With no certainty, I thought we also saw the Indian flathead (Platycephalus indicus) at the shallows.

The Knobbly sea star (Protoreaster nodosus) stole the limelight for this morning as they are not that common at Kusu. Did any guide from Chek Jawa bring it over?

It was a wonderful experience and we like to believe that we have helped the 125 participants to build a bridge between their hearts and the marine life. The future of nature all depends on you and me. And now is the time to understand how fragile nature is if we want future generations to be able to appreciate them as we did this morning.

Weekend @ Kota Tinggi

2005-08-12T05:03:00.000+08:00

I love posting happy blogs! And I'm utterly pleased to report that Reefwalk's "Ultimate R&R Event of the Year" was a success! A total of 14 adults and 2 children made their way to Kota Tinggi, Johor last weekend for 2 days and a night of pure R&R. It was a well-deserved getaway for all, and a memorable experience that has left us hungry for more!

After meeting up at Kranji MRT station at 8.00am on Saturday, we decided to have breakfast at the old Woodlands Interchange while waiting for the traffic jam at the Causeway to ease a little. "We" included Daniel & his wife Belle, Merey with husband Eng Wan & 2-year old son Reef, Doreen & daughter Lotus, Seow Nan, Saify, Darius, Min Sheng, Heng & I.

Freddy & his wife Livia and Peter were to join us in Kota Tinggi later that afternoon, as Freddy was called back to work at the last minute, and Peter was down with a high fever & flu.

Some of us had not slept the night before or were pretty beat from the journey up, or in the case of Eng Wan, had come straight after a flight back from Sri Lanka. So after checking in to Kota Rainforest Resort, most of us headed straight for the mattresses...

Except for these few who were raring to go!

I guess by observing who did what on the first day you can tell what he/she came here for - fun in the sun, quality time with loved ones, doing nothing but chill-out, or doing some big time soul searching of some sort. Whatever we did, we were surrounded by little wonders of nature, set within the rustic setting of the resort, amidst the lush tropical rainforest.

Later in the afternoon, a few of us headed for the waterfall to literally chill out. The water was freezing! But shiok man! While MS & Saify were enjoying their "hydro jet back massage", I had fun splashing Doreen with icy cold water while Seow Nan gave the locals an eyeful with her DIY mud spa. Out came her huge Ziploc bag filled with Dead Sea mud all the way from Israel, which was then generously slathered all over her body, as well as my back, all over little Lotus & big D. Soon, she managed to convince the guys to join in the fun too, so all of us got a complimentary mud rub + back massage from this petite girl.

In the evening back at the resort, all of us regrouped for a lovely charcoal-fired steamboat dinner that tested our patience, chopstick skills and appetite for the "exotic". Merey was served with some extra "liao" in her soup from one of the resident lizards or birds perched above, while MS found a "black bean" in his soup - a "bean" that has 2 wings and large eyes, that you often find hovering over food or other less than appetising (and usually smelly or dead) objects. Yum!

After dinner, we headed straight for the Fireflies Rivercruise that Daniel had thoughtfully arranged for us earlier. Man! It was amazing! At times I felt like I was lost in a magical fairyland... more like Neverland, as the little specks of dancing light reminded me of Tinkerbell. I expected the tour to be a rather short one 'cos as a Malaysian, I don't really place much hope in what my country has to offer in terms of "customer service". But the boat ride just went on and on along the river, encountering more & more trees that were covered with these tiny and mesmerising creatures (more info about fireflies in the Appendix below).

And up above, a different show of twinkling light, a sight I crave for every night - diamonds in the sky! Aaahh... To be surrounded by so much beauty just gets you all warm & fuzzy all over!

Back at the resort, it was bedtime for some, and time to kick back, relax & t-c-sing-song for others. Nothing like a bottle of musty wine to get the ball rolling, and soon we were happily discussing topics as varied as Sri Lankan tea & soya sauce, religion & lost civilisations, scholars & tapeworms, weight loss & 'snakes'... It was fun joking about Changi Village 'cravings' and Seow Nan's "Andrew". "Andrew" is a tapeworm that Daniel believes lives in Seow Nan's stomach 'cos she's so skinny. So we try to picture her rubbing her tummy near mealtime and going "Aaaandreeewww... what do you feel like eating today?"

Oh, and since we keep pronouncing Saify's name wrongly, he's now officially nicknamed "Anaconda" (for other 'reasons' too!).

Most of us slept really well that night after such a fun-filled day, some wine, and for me, a big gulp of cough mixture. But in the middle of the night, I awoke in fright when I heard a guy scream, and opened my eyes to see Peter leaning over Darius in bed! Darius looked white as a ghost, and Peter looked guilty yet innocent at the same time. Ahaha... Some Changi Village 'cravings' going on here or just Darius having a really bad dream? I'll leave that to your imagination!

The next day went by really quickly, with breakfast, packing up, etc etc till it was check-out time. We then headed for a very nice lunch back at the same place we visited the night before for the fireflies tour. The food was really good, and in the words of Eng Wan as he savoured the Nonya-style steamed fish, "Wah steam! Steamology man!".

As each of the 4 cars were headed in different directions, we said our goodbyes after lunch, each with fond memories to keep us warm, fuzzy & tickled pink for a long time to come. Thanks again to Daniel for coming up with the idea of this trip & planning the nitty gritty logistics side of it, to all the drivers who brought us from point A to B and back in one piece, and to all who came, lending to the trip your unique personalities and sharing the best of yourselves with everyone else. Aaahhh... warm and fuzzy again... :-)

"The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are." - Johnnetta B. Cole

2005-08-12T04:05:00.000+08:00

View all the pictures taken from this trip.

2005-08-12T03:54:00.000+08:00

Appendix - Firefly Facts

Fireflies are actually beetles!

Fireflies are not really "flies" but are beetles in the family Lampyridae (from the same Greek word which is the English source of the word lamp).

"Flies" have one pair of wings (like houseflies) while all other winged insects have two pairs of wings, or, four wings altogether. In general, when the common names of insects contain the word "fly" as part of a one word common name such as firefly, dragonfly or scorpionfly, the insects are not true flies and belong to another order of insects. When the word "fly" is hyphenated or follows the first word of an insect common name, it is most likely a true fly (and by definition, has only two wings.)

Habitat and Range
Most firefly larvae are found in rotting wood or other forest litter or on the edges of streams and ponds at night. Some Asian species are fully aquatic (due to the presence of tracheal gills) and live underwater, feeding on aquatic snails.

Adult fireflies are found in the same general habitats as their larvae. Generally speaking, the highest number of firefly species are found in warm, humid areas of the world. The greatest number of firefly species (highest species diversity) are found in tropical Asia and Central and South America.

Behaviour
Firefly Larvae are predaceous and have been observed feeding mostly on earthworms, snails and slugs. Larvae can detect a snail or slug slime trail, and follow it to the prey. After locating their future meal, they inject an anesthetic type substance through hollow ducts in the firefly's mandibles into their prey in order to immobilise and eventually digest it. Multiple larvae have also been observed attacking large prey items, such as large earthworms. Other observations suggest larvae sometimes scavenge dead snails, worms and similar organic matter.

Adult Fireflies also have mouthparts suggestive of predation (long sickle-shaped mandibles). Although it is widely known that fireflies of a few species mimic the mates of other species in order to attract and devour them, observations of adults feeding on other prey items are practically non-existent. It is likely however, that adults might feed on plant nectar in order to sustain their energy requirements in the adult stage (which can last several months or longer).

Baby, Light My Fire!
Mating occurs when the male lands by the female. The female lays her eggs at the base of plants on or in the moist soil. The eggs of some fireflies glow. The eggs hatch into firefly larvae which usually glow. These are called glow worms. The females of some fireflies are wingless and are also called glow worms. The larvae stage of the firefly may last one or two years, again depending upon the species.

When the larval stage is complete, the insect enters the pupae stage. It is now near the surface of the ground. This lasts about three weeks, and the pupae do not feed during this time.

Killer Queen
The adult finally emerges, and the cycle begins again. The adult usually feeds on nectar or nothing at all. Adults live only from one to three weeks. Some types of adult fireflies are predators. And some predatory females have learned a way to an easy meal. They have learned the flashing patterns of other species, known as aggressive mimicry. They flash a male of another species and when he lands to mate, she kills him and eats him!

Bioluminescence
The glow of the firefly is produced by a chemical reaction within their bodies. A chemical called luciferin produces the glow when an enzyme called luciferase is mixed with it. Oxygen is required for this reaction and is supplied by a special opening in the abdomen of the fireflies’ body. The lightning bug, as this little insect is sometimes called, controls the intensity of the flash by varying the amount of oxygen which is mixed with the luciferase.

Most light forms we are familiar with produce heat as a waste product of the light producing energy. The firefly has a very efficient means of producing light because no heat is produced by the light it emits. This effect, light produced without heat, is called luminescence, and if the light is produced by a living organism, such as lightning bugs, plankton at sea, or other creatures or plants, it is called bioluminescence.

Male Flashers Wanted!
Fireflies have been studied extensively by biologists, but we still don't know all there is to know about these fascinating insects. The flashing of the fireflies is thought by most scientists to aid in reproduction. Females, it is assumed, prefer males who can flash their light more frequently than others.

The timing and pattern of the flashing seems critical and varies by species. The light colours of the firefly can also vary by species and can be yellow, green, orange, or red. Some type of lightning bugs can produce two different colours of light.

The male typically flies over grassy fields flashing, the female lies in wait in the grass below. She will answer his flash with one of her own, signalling her willingness to mate.

Fireflies have developed a method to escape predation. Since the flash of light is pretty conspicuous, the male of some types have developed the strategy of turning sharply right or left immediately after the flash. Many critters, like dragonflies and frogs have developed a taste for fireflies. If you are around a pond or stream and notice a frog with a glowing throat you know he has been dining on fireflies!

The above is adapted from http://www.plumcreekmarketing.com/articles/16firefly.html and
http://IRIS.biosci.ohio-state.edu:80/projects/FFiles/frfact.html

More interesting info: Fireflies Offer Weapon Against Cancer - Spark Can Trigger Cancer Treatment Deep Inside the Body

R&R Outing to Sungei Buloh

2005-08-01T04:04:00.000+08:00

kilbunny is so right about basking in whatever sunlight remains. Just 2 hours before the mangrove walk, it wasn't raining cats and dogs, it was more like thundering elephants and hippos! Day seemed to turn to night and I prepared myself for a very cold, wet and dark venture into the swamps of Kranji. But the rest of the day was so amazing, that I can only describe it with pictures and prose...

"Written in March" by William Wordsworth
"The cock is crowing, The stream is flowing, The small birds twitter, The lake doth glitter, The green field sleeps in the sun ---

There's joy in the mountains, There's life in the fountains, Small clouds are sailing, Blue sky prevailing, The rain is over and gone!"

To truly appreciate nature, we should be like "The Happy Child" that poet W.H. Davies describes...

"I saw this day sweet flowers grow thick, but not one like the child did pick. I heard the packhounds in green park, but no dog like the child heard bark.

I heard this day bird after bird, but not one like the child has heard.
A hundred butterflies saw I, but not one like the child saw fly.

I saw the horses roll in grass, but no horse like the child saw pass.
My world this day has lovely been, but not like what the child has seen."

Every walk with Daniel is a learning experience as he has so many interesting facts to share - about nature, plants & creatures, and even weird non-nature-related facts. This Reefwalk R&R outing was a success, with a comfortable group of ten, cool weather for a leisurely stroll through the Kranji Nature Trail, followed by 'high tea' & a getting-to-know-you session at the cafe at SBWR. Thanks to all who came, and till we meet again...

after the rain.

2005-07-30T23:32:00.001+08:00

rainy morning today preceeded our sungei buloh trip. was a bit depressing watching the dark clouds looming all over outside. and singapore quite small la, so if gloomy in east, chances are, probably gonna rain in kranji too. first time kloggin about a day's event. i usually blog about nonsensical stuff.

anyway, the weather sort of held out and we were met with only a sight drizzle at sungei buloh. unfortunately, the bus service doesn't go all the way to the main entrance unless it's sunday, so we had to walk 1.5km in. thankfully floggie appeared and gave us a lift for the next few meters. i never knew you could squeeze 10 people in a car. i thought that only happened in indonesia or something. 5 people on a vespa. i think it looks more cramped from the front. peter has a better pix.

i'm more used to spotting marine creatures, but we did see some cool bugs today. i'm not including the pix of that gigantic moth that was sneering at me from the low-hanging branches of the tree.
the visitor centre has some fairly interesting taxidermized birds and a sign telling the public that in the light of the recent bird flu outbreak, it's still very safe to visit places with birds such as jurong bird park or sungei buloh. you'd only catch bird flu if an infected bird sneezes or coughs in your path. so watch out for sick sparrows or mynahs.
we also spotted some archer fish and half-beaks from the bridge. kudos to daniel for advising that half-beaks have a yellow spot that gar fish lack. the half-beaks at sungei buloh seem at least twice the size of the ones we usually see at kusu lagoon. maybe the swamps serve a better buffet.

one thing i love about this place is its quiet beauty. and lack of noisy people. i hate crowds. i really do. here, you can just sit and watch the birds tussle over what matters to them. just take flight.

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them? - Rose Kennedy

sunny side up?

2005-07-30T21:14:00.000+08:00

After the last Reefwalk, pammy whammy told me 'bout some jelly-like blobs at the sea lagoon that she called "upside down jellyfish". One of the participants in fLoGgiE's group, Sharon Lai, got a pic of it here:

Damn kewl... Looks like translucent egg-yolk to me. So, wuzzis man?

Moments of discovery

2005-07-29T14:47:00.000+08:00

Finally back from my 4 days of treacherous kayaking orientation.
So, here's my share of account during Reefwalk on 24th June 2005...

Once again, I was there during the wee hours in the morning to be amazed once again, by the sheer number of enthusiastic participants and friendly guides' presence. After selling about 10 odd copies of the Southern Island guide sheets to the visitors, we have finally arrived on the familiar island. The guides were told which group to take and for the very first time, I have less then 10 people to guide! *yeah!!*

So off we went into the lagoon and it was the moon snails (Polinices sp.) that had came to welcome us...
Amazingly, this group of participants are interested in even the tiniest and most insignificant-looking things like algae.. and I was stopped to talk about them instead of the hermit crab that I already had in my hand. When I ask them if they wanna play with the hermit, none of them want to.. they told me instead that they were not suppose to touch... kekeke ...

So moving on...

Due to the day's super low tide, we got to see lots of corals. Blue corals are in abundance for the vistors to see... As well as many boulder corals, the branching ones and lots and lots of sponges.

And the one coral that my group remembered the most will have to be this one - the dead men's finger (Sinularia sp.) . They can't seem to get enough of it...

Of course they saw more then just that. But I shall save it till the next time...

Greengardn and I stayed on and as usual the other guides and particiapnts were waving, saying goodbye to me: the islander.
It was a rather puzzling sight, why everyone seems to be rushing off to somewhere.
Nonetheless, the sharing session and nuar-ing with Greengardn had been wonderful. We came up with some creative ideas that we could do for Reefwalk as well as for our dearest guides...

The hardworking bluebird, though missing-in-action, smsed me from his holiday asking about how everything went. But of course, with our dedicated guides and coordinators working so hard to make sure that things go smoothly, I reassured him that everything's fine and we all had a great time! Don't you agree?!

Hmmm... Never have I realised that Greengardn and Floggie were in my guide group before till greengardn told me! And man... How heartwarming it is to learn that you people came back for more and now, you are all formally trained reefwalk guides! *winks*

May the words of conservation spread amongst you, to the people who came. That they may learn about the beauty of our fagile world, and felt the drive that you have within yourself! Keep discovering and keep that faith going...

ps: special thanks to Greengardn for all the pictures in this blog entry...

There's Always A First Time for Everything

2005-07-25T20:36:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Greengarden and BluEbIRd,

Here's my first Klog.... Yes, My first, and YES, last Sunday was my first guide over a group with Hwee Ling as my OJT. WoW, and just imagine that at my last walk on 29 May, I was a OJT assigned to Elaine. Many thanks to Elaine and my previous guides Jeffrey and Min Sheng for their guiding, and Ria for the very useful training session on guiding technique (and inspiration!) on 18 May and the very useful practical training session with Min Sheng on 30 Apr - 1 May 2005.

Unlike Greengarden, my group was assigned to the sea lagoon, where I did all my OJTs. I remembered the sticky affair we had when we did our practical training there on 1 May 2005!

The weather was perfect. The Group comprised of college and university students, two of whom did bio studies. Wow, and my highest standard passed for biology was at Sec 2! Anyway, like most good Singaporean students, it turned out that they returned much back to their lecturers and I was able to survive!

There were ten of us in the group. We started with the pre-walk safety brief on the Four T's, connect with the group with the four F's. Broke the ice by introducing ourselves and asking them what they expect to see during the walk, asking questions instead of lecturing, recalling Ria's advise that its all about THEM and not about ME!

And like in every walk, they were a fantastic group and even helped out. I was having a hard time looking for the sand dollars, and they found them! It was my first encounter with a sand dollar, so I was as excited as them.

Ended the walk, after almost an hour and a half with a re-cap of the issues and selling some ko yok on other nature walks, like Chek Jawa. I believed they had enjoyed and had fun.

As in everything done the first time, I had to put a fair bit of effort to keep thinking of what's next, so more practice will make it perfect. YES, I believe that I've found my stars

Love of a Lifetime

2005-07-23T23:59:00.000+08:00

The lyrics of this Firehouse song say something about finding one’s love of a lifetime, “a love to last a whole life through”. I know, corny, korn-eeee…… but if you just forget that this is a mushy rock ballad and ask yourself, “What’s the MEANING of a love that lasts a whole life through?”, then sort out the various answers that come to mind, then maybe you’ll be able to grasp the rest of this message.

Today, the North West CDC held a Responsible Pet Ownership event called “Love Your Pets” at Woodlands CC.

On the way to Woodlands CC, I saw this stray at the bus interchange.
It's sad how people can abandon such beautiful creatures...

The main message for this event – Love your pet. Not for a day. Not only while its still small and cute. Not only until something better comes along. Love it for a lifetime.

Blue Water Volunteers, as well as other animal welfare organisations such as the Green Volunteers Network, Nature Society of Singapore, ACRES, Cat Welfare Society, House Rabbit Society, SPCA and others were invited to set up booth at the event.

The National Library Board displayed an array of animal-/pet-related books:

A message from ACRES:

The NSS Education Group offers many interesting and interactive
exhibits, games and souvenirs:

And presenting....ReefExhibits!

Tse-Lynn speaks to Guest-of-Honour Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District, MP for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC:

Abby educates:

The message we were trying to get across was not so much about ownership, but definitely responsibility… Sort of like, “Love marine life… Just don’t take them home as pets!

“To remove an animal from its natural environment and keep it in a domestic situation interferes with natural processes…” (Wildlife Belong to the Wild, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, Sept 2004).

People decide to get pets for various reasons. The most common would be parents getting a pet because their child wants one, or because they hope a pet would keep the child company, or for some, because they would like their child to grow up loving and caring for animals, and learning how to be responsible care-givers in the process.

There are also dating couples who get a pet together, which helps them prepare for a future of shared responsibility if they were to marry and have kids one day.

And then there are “hobbyists”, who keep prized pets for “luck” or just for the thrill of it.

And so we had our owners with their pets:

And of course we had our kids:

But when children outgrow their interests, couples outgrow each other, and “hobbyists” outgrow a passing fad, where do all the pets go?

Imagine if you were a helpless little dog, passed on from owner to owner like an unloved child.

Imagine if you were a helpless cat, thrown out of the home you had grown to love, left to wander the streets, begging for food, only to be run over by a car because nobody cared.

Imagine if you were a clown fish, enclosed in a glass tank, watching the anemone and other marine life around you die one by one before it’s your turn to go, because your “owner” no longer wanted to spend money for proper upkeep of your artificial habitat.

We find it so easy to love, yet so much easier to "un-love". Our pets don't care if we're rich or poor, fat or skinny, young or old. All they need is the same unconditional love in return, one that lasts a whole life through.

Snap, Crackle n Pop!

2005-07-22T22:39:00.000+08:00

The last training session for new ReefWalk guides saw 13 enthusiastic individuals come forward, ready & willing to take on the same journey as I did from blur sotong to somewhat full-fledged guide. The new guides posed many questions, some of which baffled even the seasoned guides like MS & Pam, and most of which left me lagi blur, but also even more eager to quench my thirst for knowledge.

One of the questions posed was, "What's the difference between Snapping Shrimps and Pistol Shrimps?" Ok ok, it's not as difficult a question as "Do I look fat in this?"... But I didn't have a proper scientific answer to this so here it is now.

Snapping shrimps and pistol shrimps are the same if we're referring to all shrimps belonging to the family Alpheidae (more common on our shores fall under the genera Alpheus and Synalpheus). It's just that certain species are known as snapping n some pistol (Eg. Alpheus randalli - Randall's pistol shrimp; Alpheus bellelus - Pretty snapping shrimp).

Like you say "to-mah-to", I say "to-may-to" lah. Or like how some say Mermaid's fan, some say Mermaid's ear, some just say Padina seaweed. Of course, if you're already a bio major and can speak scientific gibberish like a 2nd language then you're probably cringing at the way I tend to generalise these dudes. But hey, sometimes one species is just a spot or stripe different from the next species, so give us "non-purists" a break!

Mermaid's Fan, a.k.a. Mermaid's Ear, a.k.a. Padina sp.

Apart from their "affair" with gobies (you should know this by now), here's more info about this "kow peh" fella for those who wanna know more: Snapping shrimp (Alpheus sp. or Synalpheus sp.) a.k.a. Pistol shrimp (other common names include Popping shrimp, Click shrimp, Symbiotic shrimp) is a finger-size shrimp with one oversized claw that resembles a boxing glove, that it uses to stun its prey by snapping the claw shut. The snapping produces a sharp cracking sound.

Extracted from: Roach, J. (2001), Snapping Shrimp Stun Prey with Flashy Bang, National Geographic News:

When colonies of the shrimp snap their claws, the cacophony is so intense that submarines can take advantage of it to hide from sonar!

The sound is caused by the bursting of a bubble that forms when a shrimp snaps its claw shut. The bubble emits not only sound but a flash of light, indicating the extreme temperature and pressure inside the bubbles before they burst. The stunning snap comes not from the clap of the claws coming together but from a bubble generated by the claws' rapid closing motion. When the claw snaps shut, a jet of water shoots out from a socket in the claw at speeds of up to 100 kilometers an hour, generating a low-pressure bubble in its wake. As the pressure stabilizes, the bubble collapses with a loud bang.

The whole process occurs within 300 microseconds! Using a device that counts photons, researchers have recorded that a flash of light also occurs when the bubble collapses. This emission of light suggests that the temperature inside the bubbles must be at least 5,000 degrees Kelvin (8,540 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time of collapse.

The flashing phenomenon is thought to be similar to sonoluminescence, in which bubbles that are in a liquid driven by a strong sound field emit light. Researchers have termed this shrimp activity shrimpoluminescence.

All this talk about prawns is making me long for my favourite "ha-meen" & "Hong Kong chee-cheong-fun" from K.L..... Sigh... Home food beckons.....

Quote of the Week

2005-07-20T13:38:00.000+08:00

"To Be Of Use" by Marge Piercy

"The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shadows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along, who stand in the line and haul in their places, who are not parlour generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing, well done, has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil, Hopi vases that held corn are put in museums, but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real."

"Ridge"-walking at the Pasir Panjang Heritage Trail

2005-07-18T01:06:00.000+08:00

Hmmm... yes yes, time for me to put thoughts into words and words into actions.. Though me not a good writer like greengarden... hmmm...

Today, the reefwalkers have gathered again, set to a different tune, MS, Bernie, Darius, Doreen & Lotus and I went to the Pasir Panjang Heritage Walk. In conjuction with the Heritage Fest this month.

It was an amusing sight to see the various nature guides coming together to go for the same walk: Chay Hoon from Wildfilms (new celebrity on TNP :), some nature guides at Bukit Timah, and of course, us from Reefwalk.

So anyway, off we went with our guide of the day - Wendy (familar eh, well... she was one of OUR participant at reefwalk the last time! She is also one of the project managers of this walk) Check out the photos MS took with his latest toy of Wendy in action...

Our guide of the day, Wendy, briefly explaining the battle of Pasir Panjang

Along the way, Wendy told us some interesting facts on certain plants.. like how the wasps live and breed in fig tree flowers (like our snapping shrimp-goby and sea anemone-clown fish relationship :) How the foreign talents (smilax) threaten our local species.. (somewhat like our reef eh... ), etc..

However, it was the wild pepper plants that had caught the attention of little Lotus, perhaps it's because they're right on the floor so it's easier for her to get her hands on it... Lotus, like her mom being really keen to learn started to copy down what I wrote on My paper...

>
Ahh... So much to learn

Along the canopy walk.. We saw some beautiful sun birds busy feeding on flowers... Tiup-tiup, Tembusu, wild cinnamon, as well as the rubber trees. Lotus being her usual self, was busy going around building up on her collections for the day... While Darius, as you can see, was extremely happy to have finally found a seat... :D

Darius - first time on Kent Ridge canopy-walk (exhausted smile)

Of course us being the older beings, again, tend to look at the bigger stuff, so we're just discussing about how nice it would be to have a place at The Peak (condominuim that was part of the backdrop at the canopy walk) with birds calling you to wake up every morning... and how we can have our gathering there... *dreamy mood*

Ermm... anyway... sooo... moving on...

Yummy.. Indulgence of Bukit Chandu!

Yes.. the inviting sight of nice cold ice cream was our reward at the end of the trail... Thank you Doreen for the treat!

Then into the Heritage part we went - Reflections at Bukit Chandu..
The presentation was brief, but this is the cool part that I must show!

Reflections - artistic shot by Bernie

So, as we ended our trip at the well of reflections, with Bernie still craving for her first cup of coffee, I felt greatly satisfied to be reminded that we're living in Singapore...
Where things are too orderly, but peaceful..

With a parting note:
Life is not a rehersal
We live only once
Live life to the fullest!

Hope that you have been enriched with our writings...

Saturday 16 July 2005, Pulau Semakau.

2005-07-17T02:21:00.000+08:00

Official Opening of Semakau Landfill for Recreational Activities, by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

The Blue Water Volunteers were there to set up the Reef Exhibits booth, create awareness and make our presence felt! Getting pictures of VIPs visiting the booth is rather difficult when you're short and surrounded by press photographers with their HUGE cams plus a crowd of other important people..... So we only got pictures of other very important people - those closer to our hearts:

A lady admiring posters of the rich marine life on our shores.

Former residents of Pulau Semakau and Pulau Sakeng browse through all the photos we have, reliving happy memories of life on the island. This particular lady is thrilled to recognise most of the marine organisms. "Oh! Batu Orkid!" (Oh! Orchid-rock!) as she points at pictures of some corals. When she sees a picture of a scorpion fish, she recounts how she had been stung twice, and the best remedy for stings is to rub 'belacan' on the affected area!

She tells us how she would catch featherduster worms, and sell them as bait for 20 cents. Then she sees the picture of a tape seagrass fruit and says "Oh, ini sedap!" (This is tasty!) and her friend goes on to warn us that if we ate the fruit we will turn into "ikan duyung" (mermaids)!

Jani was on hand to greet and speak to Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. Luckily, she wasn't her usual self when he stopped by the booth for a chat...

With KLOG sounding Neanderthal-ish and all, I thought I'd end with this ---

Neanderthal Man: You woman, make home. We men, hunt food, feed woman.

But in "KLOG World", we believe we have to move with the times..... So even our guys are getting into the whole metrosexual-act macho-yet try to look good-thing. They even 'hunt' for food with flair.....

Sorry, Danwei & MS! You can't possibly allow me to take your pic, then not post it rite?

Ok, gotta go get rid of my Stingoes and stock up my first aid kit with belacan for the next walk.

For a more detailed and proper report of what went on, read Ria's post on the WildFilms Blog.

Never forget the little things

2005-07-16T18:29:00.000+08:00

First off, I seem to be the only "on" one posting stuff 'cos I'm on the com most of the time at home working on my long-overdue assignments and I tend to be quite a hermit - am sociable, but don't make it a point to socialise. Just clarifying that I'm not a geek! Not really.....

OK, I was supposed to post this on my site after the last Reefwalk, but since we have a Blog now, and since the next Reefwalk is just 'round the corner, here it is!

After the last Reefwalk on 26th June, I was scratching my head and wondering why kids are so fascinated by the tiniest of hermit crabs while we 'adults' are only moved by larger or more colourful or rare creatures. My 'kids' that Sunday played with hermit crabs from the start of the walk till the end, not bothered about the nudibranch or butterflyfish that the grown-ups were going goo-goo-ga-ga over.

Photo by Danwei (Changi Beach, 08.06.05)

On my long journey back home that day, I pondered on this and took a time capsule back to happy days as a child. Then suddenly, it hit me like "oh ya hor..." My brothers and I used to love picking up every single shell on the shore in Malacca or PD (especially cowrie shells that we could use as 'congkak' pieces) to check if there was a hermit crab living in it. I guess that's the start of the fascination - like the same feeling you got when you bought a packet of Tora or Ding Dang and found a free toy inside. So finding a hermit crab living in one of the many shells you check out is truly a treat for a kid.

Next comes the excitement of examining this 'treasure trinket' - just waiting for that little guy to pop his head out, or stick out his claws. It's like he's playing that 'chak' hide n seek game with you. If you were a leeeeettle more curious like my brothers were, you'd also hope the crab might decide to crawl out of the shell completely so that you could see what his butt looked like and go "Kewl!".

So mystery solved. The mystery is in the mystery itself - the enigmatic charm of the shy and anti-social crustacean. So the next time one of our participants gets all excited about the plainest looking or most common creature on the shore (or even mud), don't go all blase-been-there-done-that on them! And never forget the little things...

If I were a fish I'd be Sweetlips :-)

2005-07-13T21:25:00.000+08:00

Actually I've never been known to be able to sweet talk anyone into anything. Really. Really really. Soft-sell cannot. Hard-sell also cannot make it. In fact, I can't even convince anyone to do anything much, so the only "sweet" words that come out of my mouth are usually, "Ah neh, kopi kurang MANIS ya..."

But Wai & Jeffrey seem to think otherwise, and have requested for me to INSPIRE guides and volunteers, by trying to haul their asses out of bed at 4 in the morning for the coming Reefwalk with one of my inspirational blurbs. So this here is extracted from "The Beacon," newsletter of Birthrite, South Africa, which was sent to all Reefwalk guides yesterday.

"A VOLUNTEER is a person who is a light to others, giving witness in a mixed-up age, doing well and willingly the tasks at hand - namely, being aware of another's needs and doing something about it.

A VOLUNTEER is a person who remembers to do the things to make other people happy, who takes the loneliness out of the alone by talking to them, who is concerned when others are unconcerned, who has the courage to be a prophet and to say the things that have to be said for the good of all.

A VOLUNTEER is a person whose charity is fidelity, who is faithful in an unfaithful world, grateful in an ungrateful world, giving when all about are grasping, listening when others need to tell about their fears and problems."

As inspiring as these words may be to a handful of us, it's also a matter of "easy to say, not easy to do", 'cos most volunteers have full time jobs or studies to cope with, plus families and loved ones to pay attention to, plus other volunteer commitments*. And "sweet" words usually fall on deaf ears 'cos most people are better inspired by action rather than words. If that's really the case, then I still say SIGN UP for guiding on the 24th, see us in action and be inspired!

* Singapore is so lacking in individuals who come forward to volunteer that you usually find the same people in several volunteer groups. Birds of a feather......

Slugger: A batter who hits many extra-base hits

2005-07-12T22:10:00.000+08:00

OK.. not that slugger we are talking about...

In RW, Slugger = Slug-girl = *ehem* you will soon know who...

This is what our very own slugger encountered over the weekend.

Check out those harey grandpa, grandma, papa, mama, etc. we saw at Labrador Park.. Like their distant relative, octopus, cuttlefish & squid, they have similar, interesting defence mechanism!

The 'Blue Dragons' that we always see underwater are even more interesting! They are "solar-powered", i.e. able to produce their own food like plant (or to be more precise - using something else to produce food for them, just like corals)

We also saw this and a pair of these during last Reefwalks.

Arhh.. start to feel sluggish now!

What does a bird got to do with slugs?! Worms anyone?

(Still, I think I'm falling in love with slugs, especially those nude-ones or bunny-like... ;)

Feeling sluggish

2005-07-10T21:52:00.000+08:00

Sigh... back to the concrete jungle tomorrow to take on my weekday role of city slugger. But before that, a re-cap of this weekend and the drama leading up to it. Cheh, cheh, cheh! The camp-over on Kusu that was not to be...

The original plan was training on Labrador yesterday morning, followed by camping over on Kusu for training this morning.

Last week, I already had most of my barang-barang ready liao.

See! Doreen even bought tea-light candle lanterns, one each for us both. Then see! Got 2 bottles of really good wine some more, one old world and one new world for variety.

Regular drystores like tuna, baked beans, etc, and apples, and lots more that was either in the fridge or that I was planning to buy & prepare by Friday.

Sigh...tak jadi. At least the tuna went to good use, to feed trainers & trainees...

So Saturday 9th July: Training at Labrador Beach, 6.00am - 8.30am. After a couple of pre-dawn 'hiccups', I made my way to Labrador Park, entertained by a very informative cab driver who seemed to find pleasure in telling me about all the different ghost sightings and stories around Singapore.

Girl going to Labrador by herself at 5.45am - he probably thought I was with the Singapore Paranormal Investigators lah.

And this was hanging in his cab. I thought, hey! Must be a sign of what's to come huh...

"Taxi uncle" was really sweet and took his time to drive away from Carpark B 'cos he didn't believe me when I said my "friends" were already there waiting for me.

Eventually, the others started arriving and we started our walk/training at around 6 plus. No sea horses though. But man! It was sea slug day!

First it was 2 sea hares (Aplysia dactylomela) trying to get it on. And we were all like Wah! Wah!

Photo by Yvonne M.

Then, 2 tiny nudibranchs (Pteraeolidia ianthina), already getting it on.

Photo by Yvonne M.

Then! Grandfather of all sea hares (probably too bored to get it on)! Grandpa Aplysia was huge!

After that, we spotted Grandma Aplysia (probably looking for new blood 'cos grandfather was too boring), but by then, everyone was like "oh another sea hare" and walked on.

We also studied a carpet anemone that housed a pair of anemone shrimp, many green branching anemone, plus neon green & black striped and white & brown striped ones. Zoanthids of various colours, ascidians, purple climber crabs, snapping shrimps, hermit crabs, hard corals, sponges, a wide array of seagrass & seaweed varieties, crab moults, featherduster worms, periwinkles and more.

We ended the training by watching onchs crap, trying to peel open a nipah palm fruit, and of course, with our newly imposed 'orientation rites' for all trainees... Overall, the training session went really well and trainees seemed pretty happy & enthusiastic (I hope!).

The training at Sentosa today didn't prove as fruitful as yesterday's, but since only 4 trainees attended today's session, we got to move around quite a bit. Although the water here was much clearer for spotting what I term "thingies", the tide wasn't too good and didn't stay out for too long. Highlight of the day was a really huge bristleworm (Chloeia sp.)! Ok, everything seems huge to me, but I have small expectations lah. Some from Pam's group of photographers spotted Eunice who was a little shy today. Apart from creepie crawlies, we studied more seagrass and an amazing variety of seaweed, a few leathery soft corals, brown sponges, hard corals, ascidians, colonial anemone, branching anemone, hairy crabs, barnacles, limpets, periwinkles, turban snails, onchs, sea slaters and the other common shore critters.

Branching anemone (Actinodendron cf. plumosum)

All the other interesting creatures were probably sunbathing in Kusu wondering why I stood them up. Sigh...

So all in all, we're really glad the trainees made the effort to attend the training sessions, and on my part, I hope my casual, not-scientifically-proven, chin-chai way of explaining things or constantly saying "I oso dunno" didn't turn you off. What to do... I also never go to skool!

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. - Mahatma Gandhi

i can "klog"!

2005-07-05T21:26:00.000+08:00

hey... not so "aunty" after all huh, huh... i'll keep my posts short (for now!) and just leave some words of inspiration for all reefwalkers on a daily or now & then basis lah.

"If you think you're too small to make a difference, you haven't been in bed with a mosquito!"
- Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

WalK Log = KLOG

2005-07-04T20:30:00.000+08:00

Thanks Bernie for the reminder.. If Web Log is BLOG, Walk Log should be KLOG :)

BLOG, finally

2005-07-04T00:00:00.000+08:00

I was slow, I know.. The whole world has been blogging but not us.. but.. late is still better than never yea?

Hehe.. anyway I am the first to post (of course.. duh! I set up the blog..)

All Reefwalkers are welcomed to share their thoughts here :)

Let's make Reefwalk better!

(BTW, I call this WLOG - our very own WALK LOG)