It's our first predawn low tide trip this year and on 28 April 2017 we visited Tanah Merah shore. The first exciting find of the trip would be the stonefish!
I later also chanced upon a Knobbly sea star. The corals are still ok though some are dying or dead due to the previous round of coral bleaching. The seagrasses invaded upstream of the canal where we also found tiny white sea urchins and other interesting finds.
I have been visiting the reefs off Tanah Merah since 2009 and it continues to be the best mainland coral reef despite being a reclaimed shore. It has suffered from the oil spill and coral bleaching period in 2010 and after about 6 years we are facing yet another coral bleaching period this year.
It's the third day of Chinese New Year and a small team of us were out at Tanah Merah sandflat during a not-so-low tide. Nevertheless, there were still lots to see! And it's great to revisit this shore. My previous trip here was also during the 3rd day of CNY in 2014.
We are back on yet another reclaimed mainland shore on a predawn trip. It's our once-a-year survey of the hard corals at Tanah Merah.
We are back at the reefs of Tanah Merah! I'm constantly amazed at the diversity and abundance of hard corals that grow on a reclaimed shore!
On Lunar New Year Day 3, I decided to check out the idyllic sand flat at Tanah Merah / East Coast since the tide is still moderately low enough for a shore trip.
My previous trip here was last August in 2013 though I only spent a short moment exploring a huge stretch of shores along the East. The last trip that I properly surveyed this shore was as long as nearly 4 years ago in 2010 (before the oil spill event)!
The entire stretch of Tanah Merah is rich in marine life despite the fact that it is part of reclaimed land! It's amazing how life creeps back with time when no one disturbs the area. Two weeks ago, Ron and I decide to have a look at probably the last stretch of Tanah Merah that we have not visited before and were surprised to see lots of seagrasses!
I'm finally back on this stretch of Tanah Merah to survey the corals during super low spring tide on a predawn trip with Ron. This stretch is probably the best coral reef one could ever find on mainland Singapore and the most surprising part is that this is a reclaimed shore!
This is an outdated post of the morning low tide trip to Tanah Merah back in end March. Decided to visit the reclaimed shores of Tanah Merah with Ron to see how it is doing since the oil spill in 2010.
For the last of the three CNY field trips, Ria and I visited Tanah Merah shore.
Marine life at our Tanah Merah shore is indeed resilient and they are slowly but surely recovering from the massive oil spill that happened last year during May.
I'm back on the Tanah Merah shore that was hit by the oil spill slightly more than a year ago. Together with Ron and Alyce, we had a look at how the marine life here is doing during one of the last morning low spring tides of the year.
Can you imagine that a reclaimed shore is probably the best place in mainland Singapore to find a garden full of corals?
This place is none other than just in front of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Yes, it is the terminal where people will depart to or arrive from Bintan and other places. Having explored so many shores of mainland Singapore over the years, I have not found another place that has a better growth of corals.
Six months ago, an oil spill occured off the coast of eastern Singapore on the Singapore Straits. The aftermath of this accident has unavoidably affected the marine life of the nearby coasts and shores.
Till now, the crude oil still exists on the shore, creating a top layer of sheen on the water surface. On the sand are many brown patches of slime.
The hearts of many nature lovers broke when Tanah Merah got badly hit by the recent oil spill. To make matters worse, coral bleaching is also going on during this period of time.
Will our coral garden at Tanah Merah survive the double impact? Will we lose what probably could be the best mainland coral site of Singapore? James and I decided to have a look ourselves this morning during a rare super low tide.
Today is World Environment Day! And the best way to commemorate this day is to do our bit for the environment. Especially so after the gruesome oil spill that occured recently.
19 of us were at Tanah Merah shore this morning for a beach cleanup organized by Andy.
As you can see from this photo, the high shore water level mark is strewn with lots of litter. And our focus today was to remove plastic bottles and other light debris which may be coated with crude oil from the shore.
During my trip to Tanah Merah sandy shore, I came across something unusual....
Give me back my dollar! from Loh Kok Sheng on Vimeo.
Probably the last evening tide trip for me before the morning tide returns, I joined some friends to have a look at the sandy shore at Tanah Merah. The last time we visited this shore was June last year.
This shore is very rich because it has many sand dollars (caught the joke?). With the setting sun and the sand patterns, the shore is charming and gives us a sense of peace apart from the busy lifestyles of most Singaporeans.
It's the last trip of the low tide season this week and Tanah Merah seems to be a great destination that is worth many visits especially at night where the animals are more active.
Thanks to Ron for pointing out, I get to see these pretty little Soft coral false cowrie (Family Ovulidae) on the Spiky flowery soft corals. I previously didn't know that the false cowries can also be found on these soft corals as well.
Probably one of the rare chances to visit Tanah Merah in the bright afternoon, we had a good look of the surroundings.
Even the cityscape was visible. We were once again blessed with good weather that allowed us to explore the shore. This time, I brought my friends: Chun Fong, Lester, Bingquan and Yang Yuan for their first time here.
