Chek Jawa Tidal Walk on 23 Dec 07

This is my first time walking at the inter-tidal area at Chek Jawa after a real long wait. I have been trying to book for a trip for the above for nearly 2 years (one & a half minus the closure after the flood). The walk was so popular that the within 30 mins whenever it open up for booking every quarterly, is all snapped up. Is either the walk was really so popular, everybody are so interested in visiting the last few natural shore that we have in Singapore or the booking system need some improvement. Hopefully under the new system, booking is confirmed only after payment will cut down those just book and didn't show up for the walkon the actual day.

After walk down from the boardwalk, we saw this tiny mangrove horseshoe crab, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (on the left). Coastal horse shoe crab, Tachypleus gigas tend to be bigger in size (photo on the right, was found later closer to shore). To differentiate the two, other than size, mangrove horse shoe crab are more brownish and the tail is round instead of triangle on the coastal horse shoe crabs.There are lots of peacock anemone with all diferent colours.

And also tiny sea cucumber with diferent colours too. Thorny pink sea cucumber Colochirus quadrangularis with diameter only about the size of my finger.

We also saw this ball sea cucumber, Phyllophorus spiculata that is smaller than my watch.

We spotted 2 different sea stars too. Sand star (Astropecten indicus) on the left and not sure about the one on the right. Looks either like cake or buiscuit sea star. Not sure is which one.A close-up look.

This is another sea star, a brittle star that probably a Ophiothrix fumaria that like to turn upside down for feeding during low tide.

There a lots of sand dollars (closely related to sea stars and sea cucumber - Echinoderms, spiny skinned animals) on Chek Jawa.This Sand dollar slightly smaller than a 50 cents coin. (do we call it Sand half dollar?? just joking)This are the trails left behind by the sand dollars.There are lots of this straw like things on the floor. These are the house of the tube worms which attracted lot of birds came here for feeding during low tides.This long stalked eyes crab, genus Macrophthalmus is out for feeding too. This flower crab Portunus pelagicus will not hesitate to raise up his arms to fight any creatures that comes near them.Harpiosquilla mantis shrimp that having the scissor-like front limb to catch fish or other shrimps.The real big green mussel Perna viridis about the length of my palm.This hermit crab is taking over the volute's shell as his home.This beautiful snail is called Hydatina amplustre . Little is known about this beautiful creature. There are lots more to learn about the creatures that are found in Singapore.
Razor shell that usually burried in the sands.
This Armina babai that feed on sea pen is about to burrow into the sands.This is a common scene during low tide, fishes will sometimes accidently lands on drier part of the tidal pool. Luckyly they all managed to 'jump' back to the nearer tidal pool. Part and parcel of growing up learning process??A beautiful sea squirt seen in a old lorry tyre.

Is a wonderful experience being able to visit this beautiful shore at Pulau Ubin. Thanks to RMBR in making this trip possible....... i have been trying to get entry to this place for the last 2 years!! I'm sure there are more people out there that take longer times than me. :-)

The rain was really heavy when we are on the way back to mainland. Now I understand why one will need to wait for so long to gain entry to Chek Jawa..... we have too little nature shore for too many people. sigh.....