This event runs in the coastal waters from Brooms Head in the north to Nambucca Heads in the south, and is being held from the

The sixth annual Coffs Coast Sea Slug Census is being held from Saturday 20th January until Sunday 28th January. This year the geographical area will

The SURG Christmas party will be held on Saturday, 25th November, at the Harry Weller shelter in Boambee Creek reserve. This year, members and guests

The fifth annual Coffs Coast Sea Slug Census is being held from this Saturday 21st January until 29th January. The longer census period for all

The recent Coffs Coast Sea Slug Census held recently was an outstanding success. Several species new to our area were discovered, along with others that

Tune in for a presentation from Dr Kerry Cameron on coral larval restoration. This technique, pioneered by researchers from Southern Cross University, intervenes to support

Changes to photo submission for the 2022 Coffs Coast Sea Slug Census This year, we will be moving away from email submission of sea slug

Leaf oyster reefs in northern NSW Prof Kirsten Benkendorff, Director, National Marine Science Centre There is increasing global recognition for the ecological importance of oyster

Reef Life Survey have been conducting fish and invertebrate surveys in the Solitary Islands Marine Park on a regular basis for more than 10 years.

SURG members are again having a camping weekend at Hat Head. Located east of Kempsey, it’s an easy one and a half hour drive from Coffs

SURG, in conjunction with the Southern Cross University National Marine Science Centre, will be holding the third annual Coffs Coast Sea Slug census in 2021.

Welcome to the annual SURG Christmas party, to be held on Saturday, 28th November 2020. We were fortunate to be able to hire the Harry

Come along to our first meeting of the year to hear the results of the annual Sea Slug Census in the Solitary Islands Marine Park.

SURG, in conjunction with the Southern Cross University, National Marine Science Centre, will be holding their second Coffs Coast Sea Slug Census on the 10th

Christmas is nearly with us again and as usual SURG is celebrating its Christmas at the Boambee Researve.  The shelter has been booked for the

After a green sea turtle laid a nest on Boambee beach in 2018 people started to ask, do sea turtles nest regularly in NSW? To

“Earn & Return” Has this initiative reduced marine pollution of urban mangroves and remote beaches of NSW? Does the analysis of 2 years of data

SURG is looking for volunteers to carry out debris removal within the Coffs Harbour Marina on Sunday July 7th. The group will be meeting at

Come to the next social meeting to hear Elaine Kwee talk about how Coffs Harbour’s export to Bali, Louise Hardman’s Shruder, is making a difference

Come and listen to our own Neil Vaughan talk about the Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on Muttonbird Island.

Peter Butcherine, a researcher with Southern Cross University is currently studying the effect the insecticide neonicotinoid (a systemic agricultural insecticide resembling nicotine) is having on

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Volunteers are needed to conduct a marine debris survey and removal within the Coffs Marina on Sunday 24th March. We will be

This year’s SURG weekend camping trip will be at Illaroo Campground which is north of Minnie Waters in the Yuragir National Park.  The campsite is

Professor Steve Smith and sea slug researcher Matt Nimbs will talk to us about the preliminary findings for the Coffs Harbour inaugural Sea Slug Census

The Sea Slug Census program is a community-based research project led by Southern Cross University with the objective of documenting the diversity and distribution of

The upcoming survey on the 2 December is the 8th of 8 and the 4th (and final one) since the introduction of the Container Deposit

Tom Mair has again been busy getting the wheels in motion for Christmas. SURG has the ‘Harry Weller’ shelter (closest to the railway bridge) at

For this meeting we are fortunate enough to have Chris Goatley from the University of New England who will talk to us about coral reef

Tom will show some of his encounters with the amazing creatures within the Solitary Island Marine Park, which he has filmed over the years. By

As part of research into the impact of the bottle deposit scheme on garbage in NSW, Bob Edgar in now conducting the penultimate clean-up of

Between 2015 and 2018, SURG members, with the assistance from the general public, have been assessing threats to estuarine species and the habitats that they

Dr. Ben Mos is a post-doctoral researcher based at Southern Cross University’s National Marine Science Centre. He will present a series of 5 minute talks

The AGM will be held prior to the July Business Meeting on the 18th July. If you’re keen to participate in the running of the

SURG member Neil Vaughan will show you around the Solitary Marine Park islands with fabulous photos and interesting commentary about all that makes SURG such

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Clean-up activities adjacent to Coffs Creek Sunday 10 June. The survey is the 6th of 8 (the end is in sight), and

The next SURG social meeting will feature Kate Shaw, long term SURG member, who will tell you all about her diving holiday with Ian Shaw

Last year SURG members enjoyed an activity filled weekend at Hat Head so this year the club has decided to return to this popular choice. 

PhD candidate Stephen Conrad will tell us about his work at Hearnes Lake. For a bit of background: A team of researchers at SCU was

Salomé Gonzales, a researcher at the National Marine Science Centre, will talk about her research into coral skeletons and past environments.Skeletons of massive corals can

As part of our current ‘Estuarine Resilience’ project, SURG is planning to carry out remediation works along Corindi River on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th

Last year Shane gave a very interesting presentation to members and guests on his research into the impact of intensive farming on our local environment.

Associate Professor Christian Sanders will give the presentation on his research into coastal wetland vulnerability to sea level rise at our first social meeting of

SURG will be hosting a Bunnings Fundraising BBQ on the 3rd February from 9am until 4pm. This is a great way for SURG members raise

Christmas is here again and SURG has decided to return to Boambee Creek, this time at the ‘Alice Jeff” shelter. Keep an eye for the

Dear SURG membersThank you for giving me your time to hear about the STARR 2018 expedition in Bali.Obviously, what’s on top of everyone’s mind now

Improving live feeds for ornamental larval fish aquaculture, an outline of the PhD undertaken by Alex Basford. Most marine fish in the aquarium trade are

In 2017 Kate and Ian Shaw travelled to Bali with a dual purpose: to participate in a 9-day “voluntourism” reef rehabilitation project at a fishing

Steve Dalton is planning a trip to Red Rock on Saturday this coming weekend (12th August) to conduct some swath mapping to detect discarded mud

Shane White, an honours student with the Marine Science Centre, will talk about his research into the runoff caused by the blueberry farms in the

If you are interested in the fascinating biology and behaviour of cuttlefish, squid, nautilus and octopus come to this presentation. Dr Karina Hall, a research

On Saturday 24th June SURG members will again be joining others in the community to conduct a marine debris survey on Coffs Creek. This time

Our social meeting will feature two speakers who will share the fascinating research they are undertaking through Southern Cross University. Plumes from whale carcass beach

Southern Cross University PhD student, Alejandro Tagliafico will talk about his research into corals. Alejandro’s research looks at heterotrophic feeding of corals. (Heterotrophic refers to

Jade Fredericks is a SURG member and Masters student at the National Marine Science Centre. In June last year she was lucky enough to travel

The next SURG camping trip will be at Hat Head Holiday Park from the 24th to 26th March. The holiday park is beside a clear

URG will again be involved in Clean up Australia Day at Coffs Creek. Last year SURG had a very successful clean up on the lower/middle

Nicola Johnstone will be our guest speaker for this social meeting. Nicola will talk about the Marine Estates Threats and Risk Assessment. This meeting will

On Sunday, February 12, Steve Dalton is planning to run a seagrass search for seahorses and pipefish and any other interesting critters at Boambee Creek.

SURG club member Ian Shaw will be our speaker at this social meeting. Ian travelled from Thursday Island to Darwin to conduct Reef Life Surveys.

The SURG Christmas Party will be a little earlier this year on the 26th November. This early date will avoid the crush of other Christmas

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

Bruce Gilchrist and Elaine Kwee will be speaking at our next social meeting on the STARR project, Scientific Trial Active Reef Rehabilitation which takes place every

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

Neil Vaughan will be the next presenter at our SURG social meeting. Neil was scheduled to speak at the last August meeting but due to wild

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

The AGM is approaching and it is a great chance to become an active member of this research group. You are also welcome to nominate

Come along to the next SURG social meeting. We haven’t got a speaker yet but it’s still a great opportunity to catch up with other

This free 4 week online course covers a range of topics including: To enrol go to  www.edx.org/course/sharks-global-biodiversity-biology-cornellx-uqx-bioee101x

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

Come along to hear various speakers discuss their involvement in the Solitary Islands Underwater Research Group, its formation and activities. The general public are invited

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

SURG member Jane Graham’s recent visits to East Timor and the Philippines will feature, with photos and tales of the sights both above and below

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

SURG will be active participants in Clean Up Australia Day on 6th March 2016 and will combine the clean up with Debris Surveys. Most clean

Darren is a senior member of ORRCA , located here in Coffs Harbour and donates his time each week to that organisation by staffing the

After a great day out at Boambee Creek we’re planning for our second outing for the year this weekend to conduct baited videos along Coffs

The business meetings focus on the running of the club but issues relating to the local habitat and marine environment are also discussed. All SURG

SURG will have its first outing for this year on Saturday at 1pm to conduct baited videos along Boambee Creek.  The meeting point will be

The speaker for the next SURG social meeting is Elaine Kwee. Elaine, a one time SURG member, has been involved with Sea Communities at Les

5th December is our Christmas Party at the Harry Weller shelter at Boambee Creek Reserve. The shelter has been booked from 2pm which is a

SURG will be heading to Boambee Creek (see Google Map location)  @ 10 am this coming Saturday to complete the baited underwater videos for the Estuarine

4th November is set to be a great night with SURG’s first Cocktail Party. So get out your best gear, head to the op shop