Coral, and yet another new species for the reserve!

Headband humbug and friend

A building swell from the south found me in a different part of the aquatic reserve from usual and with poor visibility and an uncomfortable surge underwater I stumbled across some beautiful hard coral I haven’t found before. A large head of coral, full of tropical fish, mainly two species of Dascylus, even crabs.

Surely evidence that the Great Barrier Reef is heading our way as waters warm up, several heads of this coral appeared to be very healthy, and the lower fish in the photo is the first time I have seen this species of Headband Humbug (Dascylus reticulatus) in Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve.