The Island's mild climate, peaceful surroundings and unique underwater life make it a must-see for all divers! 
MARINE PARK
The waters surrounding Lord Howe Island make for a divers' paradise. The area is unique, renowned for its unique biodiversity; a result of tropical, sub-tropical and temperate marine life. Winter temperatures average around 18 degrees and summer days a glorious 25, so the weather is always great. Just 11 kilometres long and 3 kilometres wide, Lord Howe offers a host of water activities to explore its amazing coral reefs. The coral reef is the most southerly in the world, and nowhere else can you see and experience such a fantastic range of marine flaura and fauna.
The importance of the island's marine biodiversity has been recognised by the declaration of NSW State and Commonwealth marine parks, in addition to a visitor cap on the island itself (400 people maximum). The LHI Marine Park extends to three nautical miles around Lord Howe, while the Commonwealth Marine Park extends from three to twelve nautical miles. Covering an area of 300,510 hectares, the LHI Marine Park and Commonwealth Marine Park ensure the spectacular biodiversity found at Lord Howe and Ball's Pyramid continues to thrive. The area is managed by the NSW Marine Parks Authority, and rules are in place to regulate fishing and other extraction activities.
Geography / Ocean Currents / Beaches / Rocky Seashore / Coral Reef /
Sanctuary Zone / World Heritage
Lord Howe is a hot-spot volcanic island, located 570 kilometers from mainland Australia. The island was formed roughly seven million years ago through the movement of the Australian tectonic plate drifting north over hot molten material underneath the Earth's crust. A weakness in the crust allowed the molten material to break through and build up a basalt island, rising 3000 metres in height to the ocean surface plus a further 1,000 meters above sea level. Over millions of years the surface of the island has been weather-beaten, and it is now just one fortieth of its original size.
The primary current affecting the waters around Lord Howe Island is the East Australian Current. Originating in the tropics, the southeast trade winds push the waters on the surface into a massive westerly flow. When it reaches Northern Australia, some of it moves south along the east coast, eventually reaching Lord Howe. The current shows a considerable seasonal variation, and during the summer months water temperatures around LHI can rise to 25 or 26 degrees celcius, while in winter the temperatures can drop as low as 17 degrees celcius.
Since the East Australian Current brings warmer water from the tropics, it has a big impact on the marine life around the island. The current transports eggs and larvae of tropical marine species into temperate waters, and maintains water temperature above critical levels for coral growth and reef development.
Lagoon Beach
Lagoon beach is a long stretch of beautiful white sand located on the western side of the island, and protected from the ocean by the enclosing reef, about a kilometer offshore.
Snorkeling or walking along this beach you can find some fascinating creatures within the shallow water, or washed up on shore. Heart urchins and their skeletons are quite common, as are Cuttlebones, the white, buoyant, flattened, cigar shaped objects which are the skeletons of the Cuttlefish. Squid can also be found washed up on shore, but these are rare since many of the islanders beachcomb in the early morning, using the squid as bait.
Some other interesting things you can find along lagoon beach are the Ram's Horn shell, a spiral tube about 3 cm in diameter which is the internal skeleton of Spirula spirula, large burrowing seastars, Blue Swimmer Crabs, Orange Spanner Crabs, Ghost Crabs, and Yellow-bellied Sea Snakes.
Old Settlement and North Beach
Old Settlement and North Beach are within the lagoon, but are more sheltered than the main lagoon beach. These beaches have similar marine life to Lagoon Beach; however, they also possess special characteristics that allow other marine species to live there.
Just offshore there are sandflats with dense seagrass meadows. Paddle Seagrass and Capricorn Seagrass are the two seagrasses at LHI, and these two species stabilise the sand and provide habitat for a unique range of animals. The leaves of the two seagrasses have a thin covering that allows effecient nutrient and gas uptake from the water.
Amongst the seagrass, the Prickly Razor Clam, Strawberry Cockle, and Payten's Codakia bivalves can be found in abundance, and play an important role in the ecosystem. When they die, their shells are washed up on shore..
In the summer and at low tide, shorebirds such as Whimbrels, Bar-tailed Godwits, Ruddy Turnstones, Eastern Golden Plovers and Tattlers visit from the north to forage on the seagrass flats for food.
Ned's and Blinky Beach
These two beaches are located on the eastern side of the island and are open to the sea, thus experiencing strong wave action because there is no coral reef to stop the swell. Because of these conditions, many of the animals that live in the sand off the sheltered lagoon beaches are not present.
Locals and tourists alike often head down to Ned's beach to feed the giant greenback kingfish that hang out near the shoreline; indeed, these fish are amazing sight to behold, and are a treasure to snorkelers and divers swimming amongst them. Also, it is common to see some good sized Galapagos Wailer Sharks at Ned's.
Blinky beach is often great for surfing; a secret gem in the middle of the south-pacific. The crystal clear waters are perfect for cooling off during a hot summer day. In the winter, blue-bottles are driven onto the beach by strong westerly winds.
There is are extensive and varied areas of rock platform on either side of LHI. On these intertidal environments, animals show a fascinating array of adaptations to help them find enough food and avoid being eaten by predators.
At Ned's beach, marine life is abundant on the exposed weedy platform, in shallow pools and on the rocks emerging from the sea. Many of the marine animals hide during the bright sunlight, but emerge if the sky becomes overcast, or towards dusk.
The shallow waters around LHI provide the perfect environment for green, brown and red algae. Furthermore, the reef and rocky areas around Lord Howe Island display a far more exceptional growth of seaweeds that northern tropical reefs, most likely because of the low numbers of herbivorous fish. These seaweeds provide shelter and food energy for many marine animals.
Sea Cucumbers and Sea Mosses are found in abundance in most rock pools, as are many types of crabs. The largest crab found on LHI is the Swift-footed Rock Crab, which has a distinctive round back with cream and purple colouring. The most common crab on the rock platforms of LHI is the Imperial Hermit Crab, while the most fascinating is the Decorator Crab, which uses colour and stucture to match the surrounding environment; some crabs even use pieces of sponge or seaweed on their body and legs for camouflage.
Other animals that inhabit the rocky seashore include Shimps, Octopus, Marine Snails, including three species of poisonous Cone Shells, drilling predatory Snails, Sea Slugs, Mussels, Clams, many kinds of Sea Urchins, colourful Seastars, Brittle Stars, Chitons, Sponges, Worms, Anemone, Oysters and Barnacles.
The coral reefs at LHI are the most southerly in the world, and are able to survive because of the warm East Australian Current which runs down the Great Barrier Reef and down into the Tasman Sea. Hitching a ride with the current are many larvae, including tropical fish and coral species. These varied species are deposited in the LHI area, and over time, the subtropical reef system has acquired an eclectic mix of marine life, including many endemic species. The mix of tropical, subtropical and temperate systems influencing the island make for an interesting and truly unique marine environment..
Consequently, the corals found at LHI are spectacular; they are some of the healthiest in the world, thanks in part to the protections of the sanctuary zones, the island's remote location, and the influence of the East Australian Current. At LHI, researchers have found more than 83 species of scleractinian reef corals from 33 genera, and extremely high number given the isolation from other reefs, its subtropical latitude, and the small size of the coral and rocky reef systems that provide suitable habitat for corals.
The primary structure of the coral reef is formed from calcium carbonate skeletons of the scleractinian reef-building corals; calcified skeletons of corals and other marine organisms are bound together by encrusting coralline red algae that also secrete a calcium carbonate skeleton. The combination of these calcified skeletons together creates a stable reef structure. Colony growth in corals occurs from asexual reproduction after a coral larvae settles into rocky substrata or hard reef, and forms a single polyp; this occurs after coral sexual reproduction.
Sexual reproduction in corals can be complex, with some corals being hermaphrodites, and others being either male or female. Some corals have internal fertilisation, while others do it externally by releasing their eggs and sperm into the water. In different places around the world, many coral species spawn together in a syncronised mass coral spawning event. Mass coral spawning is amazing to witness, and at LHI it occurs about 8 and 9 nights after the January or February full moon.
Dr. Peter Harrison first discovered the mass coral spawning phenomenon on the Great Barrier Reef in 1981 with his colleagues from James Cook University. Dr. Harrison often returns to LHI for the coral spawning event; he hosts discussions and night dives in conjunction with Howea Divers to celebrate this spectacular natural phenomenon. The 2007 mass coral spawning event at LHI was successfully predicted by Dr. Harrison, and many lucky divers and snorkellers had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the coral at North Bay.
Sanctuary zones exist over areas that contain representative examples of marine flora and fauna along with their natural habitats. Sanctuary zones around LHI also protect some particularly vulnerable marine communities such as coral reefs, and the habitats of rare threatened species.
The specified sanctuary zones provide living examples of healthy marine communities that are free from human interference. The hope is that they will provide a comparison over time and allow scientists to guage the health of the marine environment as a whole. All forms of fishing and collecting are banned from these areas; healthy populations of fish in sanctuary zones replenish fished areas.
In 1982, the island became one of only four island groups in the world on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list because of its rare collection of plants, birds and animals - and its outstanding natural beauty.
MARINE LIFE
Cyanobacteria / Algae & Grasses / Forams / Sponges /
Corals, Anemones & Jellyfish / Flatworms / Segmented Worms /
Sea Mosses
/ Snails, Bivalves & Squid / Crabs, Prawns, Lobsters & Barnacles / Echinoderms / Sea Squirts or Acidians / Sharks & Rays / Bony Fishes /
Turtles & Seasnakes / Dolphins & Whales
These primitive and ancient photosynthetic bacteria use chlorophyll and other pigments allowing them to photosynthesise and produce energy in the form of sugars. As a by-product of photosynthesis, Cyanobacteia produce oxygen and help create the oxygen-rich atmosphere on Earth. In addition, these single cells or aggregations of many cells also fix nitrogen from air and incorporate it into ammonium compounds; useful nutrient sources for other marine organisms.
The Stromatolites in Western Australia are formed by large aggregations of Cyanobacteria, and are the oldest fossil evidence of life on earth. At LHI, Cyanobacteria can be found growing just about everywhere; they grow on sand, reef rocks, and in seawater, sometimes forming surface slicks.
Green, Brown and Red Algae are a vary diverse group, with thousands of species of each identified at LHI. An unusual Green Algae called Halimeda secretes a calcium carbonate skeleton to support its segments, which is also a major source of sediments in coral reefs. Kelps are Brown Algae that have long leafy fronds and are the largest and fastest growing algae. Most Red Algae are small to medium sized seaweeds that have red pigment, which masks the green pigment in the organism. Red Algae can tolerate lower light conditions, and dominate deeper water. Furthermore, some Red Algae are calcified, and have important roles in cementing the skeletons of reef corals and other reef organisms together, thus stabilising reef structure.
Although seagrasses are not true grasses since they produce inconspicuous flowers and seeds compared with most land plants; they are the only flowering plants to reproduce entirely underwater. Interestingly, Australia and LHI are major seagrass centres, containing half of the approximate 60 species of seagrass in the world. At LHI, two seagrasses predominate (Zostera capricorni, Halophila ovalis). These help stabilise the sediments and provide essential habitats for invertibrates and fish.
These single celled organisms secrete a calcium carbonate shell and range in size from less than 1mm up to 20mm in diameter. The cell protoplasm extends in and around its shell and is used for mobility and to gather food. The most common Foram on LHI is Marginopora vertebralis, which has a small white disc up to 6mm, and is found on the sandy seashore and lagoon bottom.
Although Sponges are the simplest form of multicellular animal life, they provide an important function by filtering the water as they pump it through a complex system of canals in their bodies to collect bacteria and organic debris for food. Sponges are generally hermaphrodites and can reproduce sexually or asexually. Small pieces of detatched sponge are also capable of reattaching and growing again.
These invertebrate animals all possess one thing in common: stinging nematocysts.
Within the phylum cnidaria, reef-building corals are the most conspicuous on LHI. A coral colony grows by asexual reproduction to produce identical polyps, which in turn leads to the corals final shape: Massive, encrusting or branching. Anemones are similar in that they can also reproduce asexually by budding into two individuals; however, anemones lack the hard skeleton found in corals.
Corals and anemone can also reproduce sexually, where the eggs and sperm are released by the hermaphrodite, female or male animals. After fertilisation, a planula larvae develops, settles onto the substratum and metamorphoses into a polyp form.
Other cnidarians such as jellyfish have a more complex life cycle involving distinct polyp and medusa phases.
The following are some of the main families of reef corals found at LHI:
Family Pocilloporidae are branching corals with small polyps.
Family Acroporidae contains many species of branching corals wiht small polyps, including the finely branched staghorn coral.
Family Poritidae includes the large, encrusting, nodular and branching Porites species, which have lots of tiny polyps and may be brown or brilliantly coloured.
Family Faviidae form massive, domed colonies with large, rounded polyps that have either separate or common skeletal walls. Brain corals are common in most reef area at LHI.
Family Mussidae look like brain corals but have larger, fleshy polyps and sharp skeletal tooth-like structures.
Family Dendrophylliidae includes the reef-building Turbinaria species, which have plate, vase or table growth forms.
These worms have a very thin, flattened body that lacks segmentation. Many flatworms are parasites, while others species can be brightly coloured and are often mistaken for nudibranchs (molluscs).
Flatworms are usually several centimeters long and are generally carnivores that feed on soft corals, bryozoans or other invertebrates. They only have one opening that serves as both mouth and anus, and other molecules diffuse through its thin body. Reproduction is sexual, with most flatworms being hermaphrodites.
These worms are soft-bodied animals. The largest group are the marine polychaete worms that have paddle-shapped projections and bundles of spines projecting from the body segments. Some polychaete worms move in or on the seabed, or swin through the water. Usually these worms have a well-developed head, sensory organs and strong jaws to capture prey. Other polychaetes are sedentary and live in tubes constructed from calcium carbonate, sand grains or secreted material. Many of them have specialised arrays of feeding tentacles to filter passing plankton and organic material from the water while others feed on material in the sediment. Polychaetes reproduce sexually while other species brood their young in special chambers.
Bryozoans are animals that form flat or branching colonies, often covering objects in the sea. Although widespread in marine environments, they're often overlooked, and only the larger colonies are easily seen.
The individual animals, called zooids, are only about 1mm in size and live in a hard case which protects their soft body parts. They lack a head but feed via a crown of tentacles covered with cilia that draw food-laden water into their mouths. Not all zooids are feeders, and some are modified for attatchment, protection, or developing embryos.
Colonies grow by asexual reproduction, while new colonies develop from larvae (sexual reproduction). Many are hermaphrodites, but some species have separate male and female zooids.
Mollucs have a soft body consisting of a head with sense organs, a muscular foot for digging and creeping, and a visceral mass consisting of the gut, reproductive and excretory organs. Most species possess a hard calcium carbonate shell, although sometimes it is internal and others absent, as in slugs and octopuses.
There are four main groups of molluscs:
Chitons (Class Polyplacophora): These have small, oval-shapped, bilaterally symmetrical body covered with eight overlapping calcerous shell plates. They feed on encrusting algae, sponges and bryozoans by scraping with a tongue-like radula, and reproduce sexually.
Snails and Slugs (Class Gastropoda): These are the most diverse group of mollusc and usually have a hard, spirally coiled calcium carbonate shell, while others such as sea slugs the shell is reduced or absent. They feed of a variety of algae and animals. Most groups have separate sexes but some are hermaphrodites. Some gastropods release eggs for external fertilisation, while others have internal fertilisation. Nudibranchs and other opisthobranchs are brightly coloured to warn predators that they are toxic.
Bivalves (Class Bivalvia): These are a diverse group of molluscs that have two shells that enclose their laterally flattened body. The shells are joined by a ligament, have hinged teeth and two muscles so they can close them tightly for protection. They are filter feeders, pumping water across the modified gills. Many species have separate sexes and shed eggs and sperm into the water for external fertilisation.
Squid, Cuttlefish and Octopus (Class Cephalopoda): These are the most highly evolved of all molluscs and probably the most intelligent. The head is partially or fully fused with the foot which have suckers or hooks. The suction disc are used to catch fish and invertebrates, while the beak and radula are used to eat the flesh. They have a well-developed brain and nervous system as well as a complex sensory organs which allow them to respond quickly to their evironment. They have chromotophore pigment cells in their outer body layers allowing them to camouflage easily, or attract a mate. Octopus crawl along the sea floor while squid and cuttlefish swim. Cephalopods have separate sexes and transfer sperm via a specialised arm in males.
Crabs, Prawns, Lobsters & Barnacles
Barnacles (Class Cirripedia): Often mistaken for a mollusc, barnacles are unusual crustaceans. While most crustaceans are mobile as adults, barnacles typically settle permanently on hard substrata and secrete a hard shell for protection. Rock barnacles are the most common while goose barnacles have long stalks and often grow attached to floating objects such as logs and buoys. The animal inside the shell is attached by its head, while the legs develop into long, feathery "cirri" that extend out of the shell and create a current that directs food to the mouth. Most barnacles are hermaphrodites and fertilisation is internal.
Crabs, Prawns, Shrimps and Lobsters (Class Costraca): These are the most familiar group of crustaceans and are termed decapods because they have ten legs. Crustaceans possess a hard, jointed, external skeleton for protection. While the skeleton protects the animal inside, it is periodically discarded to allow for the animal to grow. Hermit crabs have a soft abdomen and use a discarded snail shell for protection. Most crustaceans have separate sexes and after internal fertilisation, the female carries the eggs under her abdomen until the larvae swim away after hatching. Female prawns release their eggs directly into the water.
These are a diverse group of marine invertebrates which share similar characteristics such as a five-fold body, and internal skeleton of reticulate calcite plates, and a water vascular system that operates tube feet by hydrolic pressure. Many have the ability to regrow limbs and a gut if injured. Sexual reproduction is generally external and fertilisation takes place in the sea.
Echniderms include Seastars (Class Asteroidea), Sea Cucumbers (Class Holothuroidea), Brittle Stars (Class Ophiuroidea), Sea Urchins (Class Echinoidea), and Feather Stars (Class Crinoidea).
(Class Ascidiacea): These animals may be solitary or colonial. They feed by pumping water through the body and sieving out small food particles. Most acidians are hermaphrodites, and either release eggs and sperm for external fertilisation, or the eggs are fertilised internally by sperm.
(Class Chrondrichtheys): These fish have a cartilege skeleton rather than bone, they lack scales, and their bodies are covered in a tough skin that has a rough surface due to the numerous small teeth called "denticles" embedded into it. Most species have five gills on each side of their bodies, while some species have six or seven gill slits. All are carnivorous, eating a range of live or dead vertebrate and invertebrate animals. All species have internal fertilisation; males transfer sperm to females during copulation using claspers (modified ventral fins). Most bear live young, while a few species produce eggs that are attached to algae or the seabed.
Bony fish have a skeleton of bone and a two gills, one on each side of their head. Most species are covered in scales which act as protection for the fish. On each side of the fishes' body there is a row of scales with sensory pits that enable fish to sense changes in water pressure.
Extremely diverse in shape and size, bony fish have adapted to a wide range of different habitats and are able to eat different food from algae to invertebrates and other fish. Most species have external fertilisation with some species caring for their young. There are over 490 different species of bony fish at Lord Howe Island; approximately 60% are tropical, 15 species are endemic to the area, and the remainder are sub-tropical and temperate species. It is possible that there are still unrecorded species, and as a result of the ongoing larval dispersal from the Great Barrier Reef, the LHI fish fauna will always be changing.
Some of the major fish families found at LHI include:
Damselfish (Family Pomacentridae), Butterflyfish (Family Chaetodontidae), Angelfish (Family Pomacanthidae), Wrasses (Family Labridae), Parrotfish (Family Sacridae), Cods and Basslets (Family Serranidae), Trevallies and Kingfish (Family Carangidae), Emperors (Family Lethrinidae), Scorpionfish (Family Scorpenidae), Cardinalfish (Family Apogonidae), Surgeonfish (Family Acanthuridae), and Gobies (Family Gobiidae).
While the majority of the world's reptiles reside on land, a few groups have adapted to the sea; however, they still need to come to the surface to breathe. Marine reptiles mate at sea, but need to come to land to lay their eggs. Some sea snakes give birth to live young. At LHI, the sea turtles are just visiting and do not breed on the island.The most common sea turtles are Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) which are herbivores that feed on algae and seagrasses. Others sea turtles are carnivores.
Sea snakes are extremely venomous and feed on a variety of reef fish such as gobies, or on fish eggs. Sea snakes can survive out of the water for sometime.
Cataceans are mammals that have adapted to live in the ocean, and include Dolphins and Whales. Dolphins live in the waters around LHI and can often be seen swimming along the bow of fishing boats headed out to Ball's Pyramid. The most common Dolphin to see is the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), while the Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) can also be spotted at sea. Sometimes dolphins come into the lagoon, and can often be spotted while diving off of Malabar. Dolphins feed on fish, squid and crustaceans.
Whales can also be spotted off LHI, and evidence indicates more regular sightings of whales near the island in past decades when populations were greater; commercial whaling decimated populations and until the moratorium on killing Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) was introduced, sightings were rare. Nowadays, Whale populations have increased and sightings are more frequent, especially between October and November when the Whales migrate from the north breeding grounds to the Antarctic. Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus), Pilot Whales (Globicephala sp.) and Dense-beaked Whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) are sometimes spotted around LHI.
