Imagine having to eat the same food over and over again forever! Not fun. And probably not good for you either. The same way a healthy body depends on a varied and diverse diet, the health of our planet depends on the diversity of living things and ecosystems to provide all the conditions we need for a safe and healthy life. But Singapore is so small? What does it matter if we lose all our forest or coral reefs? Certainly it doesn’t make a difference? I’m sure you’ve heard of trace minerals. The tiny amount of stuff our body needs to function properly. In just the right small amounts, these minerals are required to keep a healthy body in balance. Leave those tiny bits of minerals out, and we become susceptible to a whole suite of health problems. Compared to the Amazon and Great Barrier Reef, the forests and reefs in Singapore may seem insignificant, but local ecosystems can play a crucial role at home and in the region. Last month, ordinary people out shopping in one of Singapore’s mega malls got to discover just how biologically diverse Singapore is and how a growing number of people are playing a part to keep it safe. Two such people include Dr. Neo Mei Lin aka. Dr. Clam (left) and Dr. Siti M. Yaakub aka. Dr. Seagrass! Who have dedicated their lives to better understand how these simple plants and animals can help us learn more about our land and the importance of their ecosystem functions for healthy life on earth. Read the rest of this entry »
The Hantu Blog has been bringing divers to our reefs for over a decade. Many of our divers return frequently to Pulau Hantu’s reefs because they continue to be awed and rewarded with new and unexpected finds! One such diver is Ann Tan, who took all the photos in this blog post in a single dive! Ann shares about this encounter, “This was the first time I saw this species of porcelain crab, as well as the first time I have seen a porcelain crab in Hantu.. I always imagined them to be around Hantu somewhere.” And she was well rewarded for her patience and persistence! Read the rest of this entry »
Whoever said you shouldn’t go out at night obviously hasn’t been to Pulau Hantu! While there are many exciting encounters to be had in the daytime, the night is certainly when things get really interesting. Last week, Hantu Blog volunteer Susan Stephanie paid the creatures at Pulau Hantu a visit after sunset and was very lucky to have a shark bump into her camera!
It’s that time of the year again when SCUBA divers in Singapore get to spend an entire day out at sea, uncovering Singapore’s magical marine mysteries! We do this once a year (that is, overdose on diving at Pulau Hantu) to celebrate the efforts of our dedicated and passionate volunteers, who have been reaching out to members of the public, both diving and non-diving, young and old, but all curious about the hidden world of underwater Singapore. (Above: Reef cuttlefish. All photographs by Toh Chay Hoon) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Biology, Blog LogComments Off on Celebrating 12 Years of Outreach with 12 Nudis (and a crab)
Diving in Singapore waters may be daunting for many divers who are accustomed to high visibility waters and at first glance it may seem like there is nothing much to be discovered in the silt ridden reef scape. That’s why the Hantu Blog works hard to train volunteer guides that can help visitors discover and appreciate the hidden wonders of local reefs! Look beyond the silt curtain and take a closer look at beauty often over-looked, like these tentacled autozooids of a toadstool leather coral (Sarcophyton spp.). These are the branched feeding polyps of Alcyoniid soft corals, commonly called leather coals because its tissue is firm and soft, much like the texture of leather. Some sea turtles like to eat leather coral.[1] Read the rest of this entry »
Our first dive of the year got off to a good start! With waters a chilly 27deg C, we were all reminded it was still the monsoon season. Despite this, diving is never off season in Singapore, and we are very lucky to be able to visit the reefs all year through. This blog post is accompanied by photos from Hantu Blog dive guide Joel Santiago who has been guiding with us for over three years and counting! Joel is a huge fan of tiny critters and has a keen eye for spotting the strange and unusual. Above: Flabellina rubrolineataRead the rest of this entry »
Over the weekend, there was as big a show of macro wildlife as there was a show of divers! As many as 70 divers from several boats pulled into Pulau Hantu’s reefs for a dive and saw critters like batfish, pipefish, and demon stingerfish. It’s wonderful to have people going out and discovering Singapore reefs, but it also means that we have to take care while diving on the reef and ensure that we are not trampling on or damaging the fragile habitat as we are finning about taking our photographs. 70 people on the reef in a single morning could have a huge impact on the reef habitat if we are not careful. It may sometimes appear that there is nothing on the reef, but many of Pulau Hantu’s wildlife is cryptic and hard to see, like this gorgonian shrimp! (PHOTOS: Ng Boon Leong & Toh Chay Hoon) Read the rest of this entry »
Divers had a break of sunshine over this monsoon weekend! Coupled with surprisingly good visibility despite the heavy rains we’ve been having, it was a perfect day for a dive! There were sightings of seahorses, pipefish, bamboo shark + a few of their egg cases tied around the reef, carpet eel-blennies, schooling Yellow soapfish (which was SO lovely), Yellowtail fusiliers, Yellowstripe scad and heaps of nudibranchs! There were also many dive boats out at the islands, keeping the reef busy all morning and afternoon. It’s great to see local city reefs getting lots of visitors! Hopefully, with more attention on our reefs, a better appreciation for Singapore’s natural marine heritage can be nurtured! Above: Anemone shrimp. Photography by Hantu Blog Reef Guide, Jeemee Goh. Read the rest of this entry »
Ann Tan is a talented and enthusiastic underwater photographer who has been diving the reefs of Singapore’s Pulau Hantu for more than a few years! Having dived some of the most exotic reefs around Southeast Asia, from East Indonesia, East Malaysia and the Philippines to the Maldives, she says, “Pulau Hantu continues to surprise me… there’s nothing more to say.” Have a look at some of her photos from a recent dive at Pulau Hantu to find out what keeps her coming back! Read the rest of this entry »
July 6, 2015 
Posted in Blog Log 
No Comments » 
content rss
COMMENTS