Predawn adventure to Cyrene Reef with sharks

Today is another predawn adventure.
A small team of 7 shore explorers visit Cyrene Reef this morning.
This is my second time to Cyrene, but it is my first time landing in the dark.
Furthermore the tide was still high (but receding) when we reached Cyrene.
Sun rise at Cyrene reef is always spectacular.

Sunrise at Cyrene reef

Wet day at Chek Jawa Guided Walk

It was a wet day for the Naked Hermit Crabs.
Despite the rain which started early in the morning, about 30 visitors who signed up for the monthly guided walk by the Naked Hermit Crabs turn up and braved the light rain during the walk.

Octopus Adventures at the Great Reef - Terumbu Raya

This is my first visit to Terumbu Raya. It is also my first trip to the Terumbus surrounding Pulau Semakau. Terumbu Raya is located in front of Semakau's intertidal shore. It is only separated by a narrow channel which is about 6m deep. Today, we saw a group of visitors visiting the Semakau's intertidal shore from Raya.

The morning was showered with the Sumatras, which is dead scary if out trip were to start before dawn. Luckily the rain died down when we arrive at the marina the sky cleared up. However the sea was choppy, very choppy. At Terumbu Raya, the wind was rather strong.

My first find was a bivalve on bivalve.

Barbatia ark clam?

Happy slugging at Jong

Today's trip brings me to one of the southern island's reef.
The set off time was later in the morning at 06:30, more sleeping time for me.
When the team reached the island, the sun had already risen and it was bright.
The amphibious landing means getting water to as high as knee level or even above it.
Having gone through my 3rd amphibious landing, I find it quite fun and the water is cooling. How wish I could take a dip.
Back to the field trip...

This southern island is visited annually by the team. It is a rocky reef with dead and live corals growing on a large area. I got to see some how some of the corals look like when they are submerged. Usually I see them exposed and their polyps retracted.

The first coral I saw is the Broad feathery soft coral. What caught my attention was the polyps, moving and curling at their own pace.

Broad feathery soft coral

Soft and silty Changi Beach

Despite today being a school day, I still signed up for a field trip session.
Three ladies went to a rocky part of Changi Beach to explore.
This shore we visited used to be very rocky, but it is now rather silty and the substrate can be quite soft.

The shore is covered with shells of bivalves. They are dead bivalves though.
Even though there are many dead bivalves on the shore, I did see some live ones.

Some type of cockle. Notice how the shell tails off on one side.

Cockle - a small and a medium size.

Pretty Bean-shaped venus clam.