Great Southern Reef Foundation

One of Nicolas Remy’s most memorable experiences occurred during a dive in Botany Bay, Sydney, where he witnessed a pair of weedy seadragons beginning a rare courtship display. “At the end of a winter day, I jumped into the water at "The Leap", a well known drift dive in the south of Botany Bay (Sydney). Right at the beginning of the dive I started photographing a weedy seadragon, then noticed another one approaching, which twisted its tail in an unnatural way, then I realised my subject was doing the same!” For over half an hour, he watched and photographed their synchronised movements as night fell. #greatsouthernreef #seadragons

Nicolas Remy’s photography often centres on marine conservation. In 2022, his photo of the critically endangered Spotted Handfish won the coldwater category in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest. The image, along with Nicolas’ accompanying captions, helped draw international attention to a species few had heard of outside of Australia. After this award, the image of the critically endangered fish was featured on numerous media outlets calling for additional funding for the National Handfish Recovery Team. He recently garnered the prestigious National History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for his image that captures the moment a Crested Hornshark snatched a Port Jackson shark egg for a snack. In addition to the photo competitions, Remy also writes and contributes imagery to various scuba diving publications in order to draw attention to ocean conservation issues. You can see his articles in Scuba Diver Magazine, Plongez! Magazine, and Asian Diver to name a few. 

“My aim is to create imagery that gets noticed by the general public, either because of the story-telling component, or the character transpiring from my marine life portraits, or abstract photos.” This week we are featuring underwater photographer Nicolas Remy's stunning imagery of the Great Southern Reef. Nicolas has spent the last 16 years capturing the hidden world beneath the ocean’s surface. His fascination with the sea started early—he had read two books on underwater photography before he even learned how to dive. Over time, Nicholas' love for the ocean and photography merged into a passion that’s as much about storytelling as it is about the art of image-making. He focuses on creating photographs that go beyond aesthetics, aiming to connect with the public and raise awareness about the fragile ecosystems he documents including the Great Southern Reef. “I want more people to care about our oceans and wetlands, and I think every underwater image-maker can contribute to that.” Stay tuned this week for more of Nicolas Remy’s photography and check out his other work on his profile @nicolaslenaremy

Project Restore is advancing the restoration of Sydney Harbour’s seascape, supporting ecosystems and long-term sustainability. In addition to seagrass and seaweed restoration, the project is preparing for the next phases of ongoing restoration efforts. Plans are underway to install Living Seawall panels at Watsons Bay Baths—an innovative approach that not only enhances marine biodiversity but also provides coastal protection. By reshaping traditional seawalls with eco-friendly tiles that mimic natural reef structures, these living seawalls provide homes for oysters, sponges, and other marine life, restoring biodiversity and improving water quality. Also part of Project Restore, fish pods are being introduced to Sydney Harbour, offering essential shelter and breeding grounds for local fish species and other marine life. These pods act as artificial reefs, giving small fish a place to hide and grow, helping boost fish populations and revitalise underwater ecosystems. By enhancing habitat complexity, fish pods play a vital role in rebuilding biodiversity and strengthening the harbour’s resilience against environmental changes.

"Sea The Weed” is celebrating restoration efforts by Operation Crayweed as part of Project Restore. Studies show that when people interact with nature, they form powerful emotional bonds, which foster greater care for the environment. Combining modern science and Indigenous Knowledges, Sea The Weed helps people get grounded in traditional ways, connect with the sea on a deeper level and supports the reforestation of Sydney’s coast. Guided by experts, the program allows people to touch and view the magical crayweed, a species that holds carbon and supports diverse marine life. This Friday, Sea The Weed is celebrating its first birthday! Join In at 5.30am at the North Bondi boat ramp. Wetsuits, goggles and flippers are provided in a range of sizes. Arthur Little and his elders are central to the Indigenous relational aspect of Sea The Weed. Footage by Woody Spark and Harriet Spark Spoken by Brenden Newton

Have you ever seen underwater gardening? Project Restore recently completed the first-ever planting of Posidonia australis seagrass in Sydney Harbour! After months of preparation and planning, 800 shoots were planted at Cobblers Beach, with an additional 600 shoots soon following. This marks the first translocation of seagrass across estuaries in NSW, a huge achievement! Once established, these seagrasses spread and form incredible meadows. All kinds of marine life rely on this habitat, ranging from things we would need a microscope to see, to the charismatic seahorse. Supported by Operation Posidonia and contributions from citizen scientists, this project is paving the way for healthier and more resilient seascapes in the harbour and is an inspiration for restoration projects all along the Great Southern Reef.

This week we want to turn our lens to Sydney-based marine conservation initiative, #ProjectRestore. The Project Restore campaign is dedicated to restoring and enhancing degraded seascapes within Sydney Harbour. By integrating four flagship projects from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science— Operation Posidonia, Operation Crayweed, Living Seawalls, and Fish Pods—Project Restore aims to rehabilitate key marine habitats. These efforts focus on restoring Posidonia australis seagrass meadows, rebuilding kelp forests, enhancing coastal infrastructure with Living Seawalls, and installing Reef Pods to create new habitats for marine species. Through a combination of scientific research, community involvement, and innovative restoration techniques, Project Restore is working to revive Sydney Harbour’s rich marine biodiversity and support ecosystem resilience for future generations. Stay tunes for more on these projects later this week. #OceanRestoration #SydneyHarbour #GreatSouthernReef

The proposed South Coast Marine Park would cover 1000 kilometres of Western Australia's coastline, stretching from Bremer Bay on the state's south coast, to the South Australian border.  Listen to GSRF's Dr. Scott Bennett speak with the ABC about the park on Radio National. https://lnkd.in/gRNH8rS4

Yellowtail kingfish are predominantly a schooling species, with juveniles forming shoals of several hundred around coastal rocky reefs, which provide an abundance of feeding opportunities. Larger, more mature individuals tend to prefer deeper shelf waters, where they form large shoals, commonly combining with Southern Bluefin Tuna and Silver Trevally around reefs, rocky pinnacles, and offshore islands. Each month the marine life pages on our website continue to expand. Learn about species of the Great Southern Reef at https://lnkd.in/gFuJbhza

Growing up to 70kg and 2.5 meters, Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) are natural inhabitants of the cold, clean waters of the Great Southern Reef. The size and power of Kingfish allow them to be efficient apex predators within temperate reef ecosystems. They feed predominantly on small fish and squid but have also been found to feed on crustaceans such as prawns. Their hunting strategy largely involves an electrifying burst of speed (up to 60 kilometres per hour) to outmanoeuvre and capture their prey. Known around the globe as Australian Kingfish, Yellowtail Amberjack, and Hiramasa Kingfish, this streamlined pelagic species can be identified by its greenish-blue upper body and silvery-white lower body, accented by a trademark yellow tail and a stripe that runs from snout to tail.