kusu reefwalk, 21 aug 05
leapt out of bed at quarter to 4am, determined not to be late this time after missing the cab that i was sposed to share with bernie the last time. only 2 hours of sleep and very grouchy.
got me some kaya toast from the coffeeshop - yup, i was also surprised that they open so early. then waited for my cab buddies to pick me up.
it was such a cold morning and i so wanted to curl up in bed... we took the Penguin ferry from sentosa to kusu. the plastic green seats werent conducive for sleeping but i somehow managed to anyways. until a loud VOICE boomed across the ferry, selling a brochure map of the southern shores of singapore. $3.20 only. very cheap and money goes into the bwv fund.
when we reached kusu, it was dark, cold and raining. our reef guide was daniel and he was still upbeat regardless of the dreary weather and assured all that the rain will stop in a while. after waiting for some 15 mins, the rain became lighter and we made our way down the part sandy, part muddy lagoon. it was full moon and tide was at its lowest. yup, when the moon and the sun and the earth are aligned, you get spring tide and that's when the high tide is at its highest and low tide at its lowest.
daniel is one amazing guide who can spin a story out of anything. e.g. that the sand mounds were created by shrimps as they displaced the sand from the hole they lived in. or that there is a myth that little depressions in the sand were created when stingrays burrowed into the sand in wait for its prey. i personally found it dubious but it was entertaining nevertheless!
didnt spot much stuff as the water was murky. rainwater had seeped through the ground and was flowing down from inland to the shore. we can't see the fish and the fish can't see us. something wriggled from under my foot at one point. i hope he survived. one of the guys in our group had very sharp eyes. he spotted a copperband butterfly fish and a stonefish. we were discussing whether it was a stonefish or scorpionfish. well, the stonefish has an upturned mouth and looks a little 'uglier'. it's just my subjective view. of course, you may think he's prettier than the scorpionfish. the guy we saw was of a muddy colour. he's very very venomous (most venomous of all fish) and i was glad that i was wearing shoes this time.... that's right, no more flip-flops. i had heard of uw photographers who accidentally rest the hand on these guys. according to them, if such accidents happen, quickly soak the hand in hot water and well, pray. the little bastard's poison can kill within 6 hours. it contains a powerful neurotoxin that attack the nervous system, reducing breathing and heart rate until.... always look where you step or rest your hand.
kusu's reef flat is a little different from labrador. labrador is sandy and rocky and there are quite a lot of coral mounds, zoanthids and a sprinkle of anemones. kusu has stretches of sand with nothing much on it at some part and portions of mud where the feet will sink in at other parts. at the far end of the lagoon near the breakwater, there are areas covered with hard coral and other areas covered with huge, pinkish-brown soft corals called 'Dead man's fingers'. this is a man-made lagoon. dunno what the gah-men was thinking when they made it. as if singah-poreans will take the expensive and infrequent ferry to swim in a muddy lagoon. well no loss, anyways, cos it turned out to be a great habitat for corals and creatures.
on the breakwater you can find little limpets and barnacles. once settled, these guys do not move house. when the tide comes in, the barnacles extend their feathery legs to gather plankton from the water. they are hermaphrodites and have very long male organs that can sometimes reach another barnacle 7 shells away!
nearer the shore where it is sandy, there were many mating sea-stars. sea-stars are echinoderms - same family as urchins, sea cucumbers and sand dollars, characterized by generally having its body divided into 5-fold symmetry. they lay on top of one another and burrow in the sand when mating. fertilization is external. these guys are brainless - yes, really! no wonder always kena caught and made into souvenirs. those poor buggers. they are carnivorous, feeding on clams, mussels etc. using suckers on their tiny tube feet, their can pry open the clam shell, then extend the stomach into the shell to eat the insides. quite cool, isnt it?
oh well, quite disappointed that the weather was so wet and cos of that camera went into hiding so no pictures to show. must pray for good weather the next time...
got me some kaya toast from the coffeeshop - yup, i was also surprised that they open so early. then waited for my cab buddies to pick me up.
it was such a cold morning and i so wanted to curl up in bed... we took the Penguin ferry from sentosa to kusu. the plastic green seats werent conducive for sleeping but i somehow managed to anyways. until a loud VOICE boomed across the ferry, selling a brochure map of the southern shores of singapore. $3.20 only. very cheap and money goes into the bwv fund.
when we reached kusu, it was dark, cold and raining. our reef guide was daniel and he was still upbeat regardless of the dreary weather and assured all that the rain will stop in a while. after waiting for some 15 mins, the rain became lighter and we made our way down the part sandy, part muddy lagoon. it was full moon and tide was at its lowest. yup, when the moon and the sun and the earth are aligned, you get spring tide and that's when the high tide is at its highest and low tide at its lowest.
daniel is one amazing guide who can spin a story out of anything. e.g. that the sand mounds were created by shrimps as they displaced the sand from the hole they lived in. or that there is a myth that little depressions in the sand were created when stingrays burrowed into the sand in wait for its prey. i personally found it dubious but it was entertaining nevertheless!
didnt spot much stuff as the water was murky. rainwater had seeped through the ground and was flowing down from inland to the shore. we can't see the fish and the fish can't see us. something wriggled from under my foot at one point. i hope he survived. one of the guys in our group had very sharp eyes. he spotted a copperband butterfly fish and a stonefish. we were discussing whether it was a stonefish or scorpionfish. well, the stonefish has an upturned mouth and looks a little 'uglier'. it's just my subjective view. of course, you may think he's prettier than the scorpionfish. the guy we saw was of a muddy colour. he's very very venomous (most venomous of all fish) and i was glad that i was wearing shoes this time.... that's right, no more flip-flops. i had heard of uw photographers who accidentally rest the hand on these guys. according to them, if such accidents happen, quickly soak the hand in hot water and well, pray. the little bastard's poison can kill within 6 hours. it contains a powerful neurotoxin that attack the nervous system, reducing breathing and heart rate until.... always look where you step or rest your hand.
kusu's reef flat is a little different from labrador. labrador is sandy and rocky and there are quite a lot of coral mounds, zoanthids and a sprinkle of anemones. kusu has stretches of sand with nothing much on it at some part and portions of mud where the feet will sink in at other parts. at the far end of the lagoon near the breakwater, there are areas covered with hard coral and other areas covered with huge, pinkish-brown soft corals called 'Dead man's fingers'. this is a man-made lagoon. dunno what the gah-men was thinking when they made it. as if singah-poreans will take the expensive and infrequent ferry to swim in a muddy lagoon. well no loss, anyways, cos it turned out to be a great habitat for corals and creatures.
on the breakwater you can find little limpets and barnacles. once settled, these guys do not move house. when the tide comes in, the barnacles extend their feathery legs to gather plankton from the water. they are hermaphrodites and have very long male organs that can sometimes reach another barnacle 7 shells away!
nearer the shore where it is sandy, there were many mating sea-stars. sea-stars are echinoderms - same family as urchins, sea cucumbers and sand dollars, characterized by generally having its body divided into 5-fold symmetry. they lay on top of one another and burrow in the sand when mating. fertilization is external. these guys are brainless - yes, really! no wonder always kena caught and made into souvenirs. those poor buggers. they are carnivorous, feeding on clams, mussels etc. using suckers on their tiny tube feet, their can pry open the clam shell, then extend the stomach into the shell to eat the insides. quite cool, isnt it?
oh well, quite disappointed that the weather was so wet and cos of that camera went into hiding so no pictures to show. must pray for good weather the next time...
posted by nan at 3:15 AM
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