Fish Fatale!

Date October 6, 2011

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It looks unassuming, but this is one potent fish! I almost missed this squat and grumpy-looking Hollow-cheeked stonefish as it blended seamlessly with its silty, algae-encrusted surroundings, but as I swam over it, I managed to catch it at just the right angle to pick out the shape of its upturned mouth and spiny dorsal fins, which gave away its position. Read the rest of this entry »

Impact of fluorosurfactants

Date October 2, 2011

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Latest media reports say that while “the fire at the Shell refinery on Pulau Bukom has been fully extinguished, SCDF is still continuing foaming operations as there are still traces of fuel vapour in the affected areas.” In light of this, I thought it would be useful to find out more about fire fighting foam. Read the rest of this entry »

Pulau Hantu After Recent Fire at Nearby Oil Refinery

Date October 2, 2011

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Today I visited the shores and reefs of Pulau Hantu with Jeffrey Low, a Senior Conservation Officer at NParks. As the jetty on Pulau Hantu Kecil was closed, we dropped off at the south jetty and walked along the beaches and sea walls of Pulau Hantu Besar. Read the rest of this entry »

Silver Moonies at Singapore’s Pulau Hantu

Date September 30, 2011

Silver Moonies school in estuaries and near freshwater streams, in harbours and near jetties. Some species are inhabit brackish waters and may even swim far up into freshwater systems. They are also known as Diamond fish and Silver batfish, but they are not batfish. They are also sometimes confused with Pomfrets. We encountered this school at Pulau Hantu over the weekend. Aren’t they just magical? See more amazing photos and videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Fire at Shell’s Pulau Bukom Site

Date September 30, 2011


The video above was released on Wednesday, 28 September. More explosions occurred at noon on Thursday, 29 September. Read the rest of this entry »

Fire at Shell Refinery on Pulau Bukom

Date September 29, 2011

Royal Dutch Shell’s Bukom refinery is located a mere two kilometers from Pulau Hantu. Some 250 Shell employees have been evacuated and at least 100 firefighters are working on site. The plant is Shell’s largest refinery, producing half-a-million barrels-a-day. It has halted tanker loading and shut down a diesel-making unit as it struggles to contain the fire.  Read the rest of this entry »

Snakey bornella feeding on hydoids

Date September 29, 2011


A Snakey bornella (Bornella anguilla) chows down on some hydroids, a plant-like organism related to jellyfish. Though plant-like, hydroids are actually carnivorous animals. Each nudibranch species usually specializes in one or few species of hydoid.
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Shrimp goby and commensal shimp

Date September 28, 2011

There were two commensal shrimp in this burrow but only one was captured during the length of this video. As the fish was skittish and I didn’t have all day, I hovered quite a distance away from this burrow so they the fish and shrimp could keep doing what they do without too much disturbance. See more amazing videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Pulau Hantu’s Sand-divers

Date September 27, 2011

You don’t usually see sand-divers because they are quick to dart into the sand for safety as soon as they spot something unfamiliar near by, but on a day with a nice current, they are coaxed out of their hiding places to feed in the water that’s pushing through. Watch this video and check out how the sand-divers simply disappear into nothing at the end! That’s how fast they are! See more amazing videos of Singapore’s sea life first on our Facebook Page!

Cuttlefish and its Prey

Date September 26, 2011

Mei Lin observed and photographed this tiny cuttlefish hunting and grabbing its prey at Pulau Hantu yesterday. She also posted a fabulous blog about the rest of the finds! Check it out!