To celebrate World Animal Day I wanted to showcase some of my favourite ocean creatures who live in the intertidal zone. I just LOVE the shallow areas of our coastlines as they are so full of life, easy to access and harbour such diversity and unique beauty. Like the super cute sea cucumber I’m holding here in the shallows of Lady Elliot Island, on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Did you know sea cucumbers have no brain, breathe through their bums and can vomit up their organs when in danger! Now that’s an animal worth celebrating on World Animal Day!

From a very young age I played by the sea and explored rock pools and waded through the intertidal zone so that’s where my fascination for the shallow sea began and its never gone away. You can find so many beautiful and unusual creatures in the intertidal zone, which is my kind of fun (…which you can ‘sea’ I get from my Dad in the photos). I also find the intertidal zone amazing due to its beauty and its extremes. Imagine living in a home that is constantly changing, everyday! Only the toughest of sea creatures can live here as they are adapted to living in this harsh marine environment which includes being battered by waves, changing tides, sun and wind exposure, extreme temperatures and let’s not forget the predators!

So next time you are by the sea don’t forget to ‘sea’ the life in the shallows. I know you will be amazed by what you ‘sea’!

You can follow my creative marine journey via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

As part of the Ningaloo Outlook project, a strategic research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton in Western Australia, we recently caught 25 green turtles and 1 hawksbill turtle. To keep a track of the turtles within the Ningaloo Marine Park all turtles were flipper tagged, 15 were fitted with acoustic tags and we deployed 6 satellite tags! YOU too can keep a track of the tagged turtles right from your computer at http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking. Our research is helped by the amazing volunteers and members of the Exmouth community. Thank you so much to our wonderful volunteers, what a turtle of a time we had together! For more information about this project see https://research.csiro.au/ningaloo and I will be sharing the ‘tracks’ of the tagged turtles here, via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish (https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/) and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

I just had to share with you some Ningaloo magic from my recent trip to Western Australia’s very special Ningaloo World Heritage Area. I was part of the marine research team for the Ningaloo Outlook project for CSIRO and BHP Billiton. Tagging green turtles with the help of the Exmouth community was such a rewarding experience, tagging the biggest shark in the sea was super exciting and getting to visit the students of Exmouth District High School was a BIG highlight for me!! To keep a ‘track’ of our tagged marine megafauna stay tuned here for updates and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish and via Seaturtle.org http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1101

On World Environment Day I wanted to share with you one of the most amazing animals of our Blue Planet, the wondrous Whale Shark! As part of my work with the Ningaloo Outlook Project for CSIRO and BHP Billiton in Western Australia, I get to tag along with Whale Sharks! What an amazing experience being up close and personal with the biggest shark in the sea! My hubby Dr Rich from CSIRO is the lead scientist for the Whale Shark tagging for this project, one of the greatest jobs in the world! Stay tuned for more whale shark stories coming here soon and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish.

As part of the Ningaloo Outlook project for CSIRO and BHP Billiton we are tagging turtles to track their movements within the Ningaloo Marine Park World Heritage Area, in Western Australia. As part of this research we engage with the local community including the teachers and students from Exmouth District High School. As you can see from the photos we all had a great ‘Turtle Tagging School’ day with the science classes of Grade 9! For more information on this project see https://research.csiro.au/ningaloo and stay tuned for some more Ningaloo stories coming here soon and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish.

I’m currently on a turtle tagging trip for the Ningaloo Outlook project, a strategic research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton in Western Australia. This marine science project really engages with the Exmouth community and what a turtle of a time we are having helping us to tag and track the movements of these graceful green turtles in the Ningaloo Marine Park. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers! For more information about this project see https://research.csiro.au/ningaloo and stay tuned for some more terrific turtle times coming this way and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish.

Having a whale shark of a time in Western Australia as part of the annual Whale Shark Festival held in Exmouth! That’s my hubby Dr Richo in the Whale Shark suit! Stay tuned here and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish for the turtle and whale shark tagging which starts this week as part of the Ningaloo Outlook Project, a research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton. Now let’s start tagging!!

I’m super excited about my upcoming visit to the World Heritage listed Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia! I will be taking the plunge with the CSIRO research team who are part of the Ningaloo Outlook Project with BHP Billiton to tag marine megafauna, including our wondrous Whale Sharks and graceful Green Turtles. My trip also includes a visit by my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish to Exmouth School and I’m so looking forward to seeing the students again! So stay tuned for some Ningaloo underwater wonders coming this way soon!

Today we shell-ebrate (and celebrate) World Turtle Day!! These photos celebrate the turtle tagging done in the first year of the Ningaloo Outlook Project, a research partnership between CSIRO and BHP Billiton, in Western Australia. I’m very lucky to be part of this amazing research team. Stay tuned for more turtle tagging stories coming here soon and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish.

I have just returned from a great getaway to my favourite seaside town of Rainbow Beach!  What an absolutely beautiful part of coastal Queensland, Australia, and what a great time I had by the sea to rest and recharge before ‘diving into’ my next creative marine adventure. So stay tuned here and via my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish for more seaside stories coming soon!!