Acanthastrea pachysepta is one of the most recognizable and hardy LPS corals even if they are still commonly confused with Lobophyllia. Ever since this coral was imported, we knew it couldn’t be mixed with any Lobophyllia without a risk of being…
Take A 90 Second Dive On Some Of Australias Most Iconic Coral Reefs
Experience the serenity of scuba diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 90 seconds. Harriet Spark of Grumpy Turtle Creative takes us on a journey through John Brewer Reef in the latest installment of her 90-second dives series. This compelling video…
The ‘Fiji’ Yellow Leather Coral, Sarcophyton elegans
The ‘Fiji’ Yellow Leather is a living conundrum of a coral that is readily available in the hobby, but somehow also seems a little inaccessible. Contrary to most leather corals, there is a consensus that this yellow toadstool coral is…
William Saville-Kent Was A Coral Loving Naturalist From The 1800s
William Saville-Kent As you do when you’re stuck at home, you fall down a rabbit hole on the internet. The story of William Saville-Kent is one such divot we stumbled upon, and oh boy are we happy we did. We…
Cloud Brightening Is Being Tested Over The Great Barrier Reef
Earlier this month we wrote about a recent bleaching event in Australia. This is the third widespread bleaching event in five years, and firsthand account from Ultra Coral Australia, describes this year’s event as the most severe deepwater bleaching they…
Dive Into A Virtual Ocean with Google Earth
After more than a month on dry land, our itch for diving is growing day by day. And with most of our diving plans called off for the foreseeable future, we’re doing everything we can to say connected to the…
Is Acropora convexa the Next Holy Grail Acro?
It’s been a while since we wrote about Australian corals but with all this down time, we finally can find the time to write about things that inspired us in our previous journeys.During our Ultra Coral Australia trips on the…
True Green Elkhorn Montipora Finally Discovered!
When it was first introduced in the early 2000s, the Elkhorn Montipora quickly became one of the fastest growing strains of aquarium corals. This coral grows so fast that within a few years it was no longer welcome in a…
Unusual ‘Raggedy Toadstool’ Leather from Southern Great Barrier Reef
Toadstool leather corals are a distinctive group of aquarium corals which have a lot of diversity at the generic level, but the species are more challenging to distinguish. Even in the wild a Sarcophyton toadstool may be hard to tell…
Who Says Australia Lacks Coral Diversity?
Going diving on a regular basis with the master collector Nic Dos Santos from Ultra Coral Australia, I’ve had the chance to see a nice cross section of the Great Barrier Reef. And if there is one thing I can…
