| About the "Adopt
a Reef" Program
Dive clubs are rapidly signing up to our Adopt a Reef
program. The idea is for a club to schedule four dives
(one per season) on their adopted reef. Reef Watch will
provide any training required. The reefs that have been
adopted so far are:
The four metropolitan reefs (Port Noarlunga, Hallett
Cove, Broken Bottom and Seacliff Reef) are also being
monitored every few summers by SARDI Aquatic Sciences,
allowing Reef Watch data to be compared with that acquired
by professional scientists. However, the main role for
Reef Watch will be to conduct monitoring dives every
season at each of the adopted reefs, to fill in the
gaps between the Government surveys and allow an earlier
response to any problems that arise. The Northern Outer
Reef is likely to be included in future Government surveys
as it provides natural reef in the vicinity of the Glenelg
Barge and Dredge which have been surveyed in the last
few Government studies.
A
new development for Reef Watch in the last couple of
years is the adoption of several reefs (Olivers, The
Bluff, Lassiters, Second Valley Caves) within the developing
Encounter Marine Protected Area (MPA). Baseline information
will be vital to the future management of this area..
Information about the reefs and
their adoption by clubs
 Port
Noarlunga Reef
 Noarlunga
Reef is approximately 1.6 kilometres long and lies about
400 metres off shore, 30 kilometres south of Adelaide.
The area is a popular recreational destination and due
to its high conservation value the Port
Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve was declared in 1971,
containing the reef and the adjoining Onkaparinga Estuary.
It has been the site of all four marathon dives up to
and including 2004.
 SODS
have been monitoring Port Noarlunga reef for several
years, and in 2004 were awarded a second grant from
Onkaparinga Council to progress their monitoring activities.
Reports
on SODS training and monitoring dives and other news:
 Lassiter's
Reef
David
Cowan has provided the illustration (click the image
on the right for a full size version) to depict the
location of 'Lassiter's Reef' ('X' marks the spot) including
both southerly and westerly transits (ie the stobie
pole in line with the female toilet door & 'Boat
Shed' Point in line with the most westerly edge of the
rubble slopes on the west side of Rapid Bay). David
estimates that the reef is about 320 metres from the
beach on a compass bearing of 0 degrees (i.e North).
 Reports
on Scuba Divers' Club training dives from Stephen Merrett:
Hallett
Cove
There
was a launch organised by the Marine Life Society SA
(MLSSA) on the 7th December, 2003, leading to footage
on Channel 10 news and the following news item (from
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200312/s1005145.htm)
 Hallett
Cove Reef in South Australia is to be regularly monitored
under an adopt-a-reef program launched this morning
to recognise Ocean Care Day. The southern suburbs reef
is the first to be adopted under the Conservation Council
program. David Turner from Reef Watch says the public
is invited to join regular dives and report the area's
health to scientists and marine authorities. "If something
like an invasive species comes along to that reef those
divers that are out there regularly are the first ones
that are likely to see that, and they can report it
to the correct people," he said.
Members
of the Marine Life Society have since returned to the
reef in April, May and November 2004. Kevin Smith has
produced a mud map of the reef (click on the thumbnail).
 Port
Vincent
The
Port
Vincent Primary School Marine Team recently accepted
the 2003 "Coastal Care State award for Excellence",
completing a unique trifecta. They are now recognised
as the winner of KESAB, Landcare and Coastcare's major
awards! The illustration shows some of the students
standing on the walkway above "Golf Course" reef, which
the school has adopted and has been monitoring using
the Reef Watch fish survey method for the last six years.
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