In May 2023, RLS Cofounder Rick Stuart-Smith ventured back to the Seychelles for the first time in over a decade to resurvey twelve sites. A lot had changed since his last visit, having recorded some species that weren't spotted the last time around, as well as noting some visible changes to the coral reefs.
In late April, 2023, the West Australian RLS team hopped on the ferry over to Rottnest Island to conduct surveys amid sunny and calm conditions. This trip proved to be a jackpot for nudibranch lovers, and the team also enjoyed a rainbow procession of tropical wrasses and parrotfishes.
In early April, 2023, RLS divers returned to Geographe Bay Marine Park to complete 12 surveys in total across 6 sites. Some of the RLS sites lie within the Geographe Marine Park, managed by Parks Australia. Located in the south-west corner of Western Australia, Geographe Bay is home to a range of rarely-seen species, including the western blue devil and yellowspotted boarfish.
From the 9th-13th November, 2022, RLS divers braved the weather to train new Victorian recruits and conduct surveys at Port Phillip Bay. There the team spotted some exciting fish and invertebrates to add to the database for the first time, as well as some old favourites across 14 surveys.
Just over an hour's drive from Adelaide you'll find a sheltered bay which Reef Life Survey divers just can't get enough of. This special site comes complete with a small beach, a jetty, and delightful beds of Amphibolis and Posidonia seagrasses. Where the rocky headland drops off sharply to the reef below lies the Reef Life Survey site known as The Boat Shed. It truly is a wonderful example of a South Australian subtidal temperate reef, with a spectacular medley of brown macro-algae hiding a plethora of invertebrates and cryptic fish for keen divers to find.
