Why I love Ningaloo

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

Where else in the world can you see emus and kangaroos, walk through gorges, stand next to a lighthouse, sit on amazing white beaches with crystal clear water, as well as snorkel with amazing corals, fish, turtles – all in the same day.  Coupled with a great community of people and if the swell and wind is right, the possibility to sneak in a surf, kayak, or a kite.

After working for a decade on the Great Barrier Reef, I continue to be blown away by the beauty and vastness of the Ningaloo Coast.  For those who have never been, below are a couple of pics taken on Sunday whilst I was up for the Whaleshark Festival.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I am already looking forward to heading north again soon.

Posted in Other

Is Coral Bay better than Byron Bay?

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

The north-west WA coast might be the best holiday destination in Australia, writes Roy Fleming in the Sydney Morning Herald.  Click here to read the full story of Roy’s time in Coral Bay.

Posted in Other

Another successful Whaleshark Festival

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

Another year and another successful and fun Ningaloo Whaleshark Festival.  Congratulations and a big thank you to the organisers and volunteers of this years event – a job well done!  I hope that those of you that got hold of a Ningaloo Atlas stubby cooler put it to good use and visit the web address http://ningaloo-atlas.org.au.

Posted in Other

Exmouth Info now up and running

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

A new website designed for Exmouth and Coral Bay residents to help promote Business, Community Events and better inform everybody of the comings and goings of the community is now online.

Check out Exmouth Info for more details.

Posted in Other

Record number of whale sharks spotted off the Muirons

Posted on May 29, 2012 by

Ningaloo whale sharksThe largest school of whale sharks to ever been seen at Ningaloo has been discovered – with the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) confirming a sighting earlier this month by a recreational boater of at least 25 whale sharks.  The sharks were feeding on krill west of the Murion Islands in what is the largest school of whale sharks recorded in the Ningaloo area (although larger groups have been observed in other parts of the world).

DEC Exmouth whale shark conservation officer Emily Wilson said it appeared from plankton samples that an abundance of food on the water surface had attracted the whale sharks to the area.

“However we are unsure if this feeding aggregation is a unique event or a common occurrence at night when no one is there to witness it,” she said. Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Oceanography

Marine reserves help restock fish

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

From Science Alert:

An international team of scientists has gathered the first conclusive evidence that marine reserves can help restock exploited fish populations on neighbouring reefs which are open to both commercial and recreational fishing.

The groundbreaking study was carried out in the Keppel Island group on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS), in conjunction with other leading research institutions, and is reported in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology.

Its findings help to resolve a long-running debate in Australia and worldwide about whether marine reserves, areas closed to all forms of fishing, can help to replenish fish numbers in areas left open to fishing. Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Conservation

Friday movie: Whale shark facts

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

Given that it is the Whaleshark Festival tomorrow, it seems appropriate to showcase the beautiful creatures again in todays movie.

Posted in Biodiversity, Movies

Seagrass rival forests for Carbon storage

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

According to a new paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change – with seagrass meadows storing per unit area up to twice as much carbon as the world’s temperate and tropical forests.

The paper, “Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock,” is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses, and the results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them.  As a comparison, a typical terrestrial forest stores about 30,000 metric tons per square kilometer, most of which is in the form of wood.

The research also estimates that, although seagrass meadows occupy less than 0.2 % of the world’s oceans, they are responsible for more than 10 % of all carbon buried annually in the sea. Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Threats

See you at the Whaleshark Festival

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

Ningaloo whale sharkWell, only 2 days to go now until the 2012 Ningaloo Whaleshark Festival.  The Ningaloo Atlas is once again excited to be part of the festival and looks forward to meeting many of you on Saturday.  The Atlas will be there armed with brochures, live website displays, and stubby coolers (we all know the importance of a cold beer in Exmouth).

Looking forward to the weekend. and hope to see many of you there showing your support for the festival again this year.

Posted in Other

Friday movie: The Endless Summer digitally re-mastered

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Just because it is a classic and I like surfing.

Posted in Movies