N. GBR - Blue (AUJW57)

Setting

Jewell Reef's second dive on 12 September 2014 dropped Anderson onto a steep forereef slope running to 20 m, in reduced visibility of 10-15 m and a fair bit of wave energy. This is a Habitat Protection (Blue) Zone, where line fishing is permitted.

General benthic features

The 4-7 m shallows were dominated by a non-coral encrusting organism, likely a sponge; coral grew no shallower than 3-4 m, mostly the trip's usual suspects, pocilloporids like Stylophora and Seriatopora. The photographs are shot looking down onto that slope and show a reef of many small colonies rather than large ones: maroon and rose Pocillopora, cream and tan corymbose Acropora, small tabulate plates, mounding Porites, and a meandering fleshy colony, all set into pale, coralline-crusted rubble (e.g., Image 1, Image 3, Image 4).

134

Abundant soft corals show up too, one big gray leathery colony filling a third of a frame with its convoluted lobes (e.g., Image 2).

2

One frame has the PVC survey quadrat propped against a broad lavender encrusting colony on a steep face (e.g., Image 5).

5

Coral cover

• Reference: Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Global Reef Expedition (in situ transect)
• This survey point recorded 23% cover, while the dive's best patch, an unusually rugose transect near 9.5 m, ran 35-45%.
• One transect was scored at this station (23%; n = 1, so no SE; Living Oceans Foundation per-transect benthic data); it is the expedition's station value printed above.

Stressors

No crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) or other corallivores evident.

Fish and other fauna

A 1.5 m gray reef shark cruised past and a striking polyclad flatworm was photographed on a Diploastrea (e.g., Image 7).

7

Comparisons with other data

No prior survey data from this site. If you would like to share yours, please email us.