Here I am in Coral Bay again, a short trip of only 4 weeks this year. It seems to be quieter every year since the Covid crush of few years ago.Most of the time I have been pretty much the only person in the entire camping ground.
First thing which is on everyone’s mind at the moment is the widespread coral bleaching taking place along the Ningaloo Reef. Not all species are affected, as can be seen here but there is even so a huge amount. I am afraid it will not recover, some already has algae growing on it which means it is dead. Water has cooled down a little, around 27 degrees but too little too late. This photo is from near my Point Maud site.
A sad sight indeed, fields of staghorn coral a ghostly white. It is at the same time very beautiful, in an eerie ‘elegance of the crypt” vampirish sort of way.
The stunning structural beauty is briefly revealed, these branches will soon be covered in filamentous algae thriving on the dead polyp tissue.
Here is the scene at my site “Shallows”, which is to the north of Coral Bay and just inside the outer reef.
The main coral on this site is the yellow-green branching coral at left which is presently unaffected. the extensive field of branching coral to the right is 100% bleached and yet there seems to be little difference in their anatomy. Even sea anemones, which are in the same order as corals, bleach. These two Australian Anemonefish-Amphiprion rubrocinctus, seemed very confused and did not take shelter in the anemone as they normally would. Not sure how they will fare if their host anemone dies, I assume they too will not survive. Another tragically beautiful dying coral, this species is normally a dull brownish yellow. The warmer water seems to have brought large numbers of Anchovies, I have seen many small dense schools everywhere I have dived.
A tired Common Noddy, took a rest on my boat for half an hour as I drifted, it looked a little rough with missing tail feathers. They are so small and delicate it’s a wonder how they survive flying long distances out to sea and plunging into the water to take
small fish. If you hold one in your hand they weigh nothing, small miracles of life and energy.
First thing which is on everyone’s mind at the moment is the widespread coral bleaching taking place along the Ningaloo Reef. Not all species are affected, as can be seen here but there is even so a huge amount. I am afraid it will not recover, some already has algae growing on it which means it is dead. Water has cooled down a little, around 27 degrees but too little too late. This photo is from near my Point Maud site.
A sad sight indeed, fields of staghorn coral a ghostly white. It is at the same time very beautiful, in an eerie ‘elegance of the crypt” vampirish sort of way.
The stunning structural beauty is briefly revealed, these branches will soon be covered in filamentous algae thriving on the dead polyp tissue.
Here is the scene at my site “Shallows”, which is to the north of Coral Bay and just inside the outer reef.
The main coral on this site is the yellow-green branching coral at left which is presently unaffected. the extensive field of branching coral to the right is 100% bleached and yet there seems to be little difference in their anatomy. Even sea anemones, which are in the same order as corals, bleach. These two Australian Anemonefish-Amphiprion rubrocinctus, seemed very confused and did not take shelter in the anemone as they normally would. Not sure how they will fare if their host anemone dies, I assume they too will not survive. Another tragically beautiful dying coral, this species is normally a dull brownish yellow. The warmer water seems to have brought large numbers of Anchovies, I have seen many small dense schools everywhere I have dived.
A tired Common Noddy, took a rest on my boat for half an hour as I drifted, it looked a little rough with missing tail feathers. They are so small and delicate it’s a wonder how they survive flying long distances out to sea and plunging into the water to take
small fish. If you hold one in your hand they weigh nothing, small miracles of life and energy.
