About the trips | Trip itinerary | Resources (online) | Make a booking

 

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About the Trips

The School of Resource Science and Management at Southern Cross University and Byron Bay Dive Centre/Bayside SCUBA, are offering snorkelling trips for school groups to the world famous Julian Rocks Marine Reserve, Byron Bay. Julian Rocks is one of Australia’s top ten dive locations and the focus of the experience will be on promoting greater appreciation and understanding of marine life in the region. The trips will also provide a fun introduction for students who haven’t tried snorkelling before.

Situated on the boundary between tropical and temperate marine zones, the waters of Byron Bay harbour a great diversity of marine life. There are over 528 different fish species (396 predominantly tropical, 101 temperate species and 29 subtropical species), 30 coral species, turtles, dolphins and a multitude of other marine life. Seasonal visitors to the Marine Reserve include the protected Grey Nurse Shark and Humpback whale, Leopard sharks and Manta Rays.

The cost of the excursion includes:

  • An introductory briefing on the marine life and significance of Julian Rocks Marine Reserve,

  • The boat trip to the marine reserve (3 nautical miles off Cape Byron) and snorkelling equipment hire,

  • On-site supervision and instruction by a qualified snorkelling instructor, and

  • Help with marine life identification following the trip.

School of Resource Science and Management staff will accompany students to provide interpretative information and help with marine life identification. Poster displays and marine identification guides will be available at the Dive Centre.

Trip itinerary | Resources (online) | Making a booking

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Some of the marine life commonly seen at Julian Rocks Marine Reserve.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Sattelite image showing the path of the warm East Australia Current down the east coast of Australia. The EAC is one of the worlds major boundary currents, affecting climate and governing the lives of marine organisms.

Trip Itinerary

From the trips run so far the following would be a typical itinerary. Please note that a waiver form (signed by a parent or guardian) must be completed and presented to the Dive Centre prior to students embarking on the boats. Trips have been well received by students and teachers.

Pre-trip planning

  • Parents and students complete permission slips and waiver forms (these will be mailed out at the time of booking).
  • School collects excursion cost from students.
  • Co-ordinating teacher collects waiver forms and confirms student numbers before the trip (you will be contacted 2-3 days prior).

Depart school to arrive at Byron Bay by 9.15-9.30 AM

School will need to organise transport for students to and from Byron Bay. To-date trips have been planned to coincide with the 10.30 AM boat trip to Julian Rocks (this time allows the excursion to be completed within school hours).

9.30-10.30 AM

  • Welcome to students and pre-trip briefing (waiver forms will also be collected from the co-ordinating teacher).
  • Fit students with fins, mask and wetsuit and load fins and mask onto boats.
  • Marine awareness briefing, if time permits (to-date briefings have been given at the dive site as time is usually limited).
  • Board trucks for trip to boat ramp.

10.40-11.00 AM

  • Launch boats and trip to Julian Rocks Marine Reserve (may include dolphin and whale watching).

11.00-12.00 PM

  • Snorkelling and marine identification at Julian Rocks.

12.00-12.30 PM

  • Return to Dive Centre.
  • Warm shower and wash gear.

12.30-1.15 PM

  • Meet at Dive Centre pool for:
    •
  1. Poster display (free bookmarks, posters, newsletters and information on SCU courses will be available to interested students),
  2. Marine identification (books and staff will be available to help), &
  3. Review exercise (questions and answers on trip planning and marine awareness).

Depart Byron Bay 1.15-1.45 PM

The co-ordinating Marine Studies teacher will be presented with a resource pack from the School of Resource Science and Management. It is hoped these packs will be a useful addition to the teaching resources in your units.

Post-trip

  • Participation certificates will be mailed to the co-ordinating teacher to distribute to students (we will need a list of student names).
  • The school will receive an account from Byron Bay Dive Centre for the cost of the trip (cost per student x number of participating students).

 

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Resources

The School of Resource Science and Managment have made a number of resources available to Marine Studies teachers participating in excursions. I have listed some of these resources here. I will also list links to web sites that may be of interest to Marine Studies teachers and students and useful guides to local marine life.

 

Images...

Julian Rocks Marine Reserve (colour)

Julian Rocks Marine Reserve (B/W, detailed)

Marine life greeting cards - nudibranch and seastar (3mb)

Marine life greeting cards - costellate egg cowry and goat fish (2.7Mb)

 

Resource material...

The School of Resource Science and Management is making the following resources available to high schools participating in snorkelling/marine awareness excursions.

State of the Marine Environment Report for Australia - Technical Summary, Compiled by Professor Leon Zann

The State of the Marine Environment Report (SOMER) is the first comprehensive, scientific description of Australia's marine environment. SOMER describes in detail the major marine ecosystems and their status; the major uses of the marine environment and their effects; the general issues and threats affecting the marine environment; the condition or health of the marine environment; and marine environmental management and conservation.

Mangroves (multimedia compact disk), by Dr Nick Holmes

A demonstration multimedia CD describing mangrove ecology, suitable for students from Year 9 upward. Takes students on a virtual tour through a mangrove ecosystem.

Ecology, by Associate Professor Peter Harrison

First year Bachelor of Applied Science ecology lecture notes compiled into a comprehensive manual.

Humpback Whales of Eastern Australia (brochure), by Max Egan

A detailed broochure highlighting the unique behaviour and biology of the Humpback whale. Also reviews the history of whaling in Eastern Australia.

Snorkelling and Marine Awareness Questions for High School Students, by Simon L Hartley

A question answer exercise for students attending the snorkelling/marine awareness trips to Julian Rocks Marine Reserve.

Bookmarks, posters and course information

The School of Resource Science and Management produces a range of promotional material. If you would like an information pack, please contact me.

 

Useful reference books...

Some useful reference books on local marine life are listed below.

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. (1994) Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, Tropical Reef Research, Singapore.

Davie, P. (editor) (1998) Wild Guide to Moreton Bay, Wildlife and Habitats of a Beautiful Australian Coast — Noosa to the Tweed, Queensland Museum.

Edgar, G.J. (1997) Australian Marine Life — the plants and animals of temperate waters, Reed Books, Australia.

Kuiter, R.H. (1996) Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia, New Holland Publishers, Australia.

 

Internet references...

The following collection of Internet references may be useful for marine-based school project work or for general information on sea conditions for planning trips.

Manly Hydraulics Lab

http://www.mhl.nsw.gov.au/

Provides "real time" environmental data including offshore wave height, sea surface temperatures, tide heights, rainfall and water levels. Data comes from a range of sources including offshore buoys and rainfall stations.

Bureau of Meteorology

http://www.bom.gov.au/

Weather and climatic information, including prognostic charts, current weather predictions and a range of other services.

Project Net

http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/project-net/apnet.html

The 'ProjectNet' series of marine science is provided as part of an information set designed for school project activities.

The subject pages are intended to complement existing course work as an aid for students undertaking marine science projects. Where appropriate, links for further reading and information are provided.

Australian Marine Studies

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/ams/

The Australian Marine Studies prototype CD ROM is currently available on-line. It includes chapters from "Our Sea Our Future" a summary of the State of the Marine Environment Report compiled by Prof. Leon. P. Zann.

The Australian Marine Studies Surf Page provides up to date links to marine information from all over the world.

Visitors Guide to Marine Ecosystems of Northern New South Wales

http://www.tip.net.au/~sef/amanda/

Here you will find information on all of the major marine ecosystems that you can encounter on the North Coast of New South Wales, with detailed descriptions and photos of each. You will also find interesting information about what kinds of plants and animals you are likely to see. There are also links to other web sites associated with each ecosystem, for example, the Deep Blue Sea page contains links to other sites on whales, dolphins, sharks, bioluminescense and more.

Amanda Fry is a graduate of Southern Cross University. Amanda completed this web site as part of the third year project for her Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in the School of Resource Science and Management.

The JASON project

http://www.jasonproject.org/

After discovering the wreck of the RMS Titanic, world-famous explorer and oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard received thousands of letters from students around the world wanting to go with him on his next expedition. In order to bring the thrill of discovery to millions of students worldwide, Dr. Ballard founded the JASON Project, a year-round scientific expedition designed to excite and engage students in science and technology and to motivate and provide professional development for teachers. The JASON Project has been praised as the leader in distance learning programs,and continues to expand its reach by adding more components to the Project experience.

SeaWIFS project

http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS/LIVING_OCEAN/

SeaWIFS project home page - ocean imaging from space, the role of phytoplankton in the global carbon cycle, etc., teachers guide for year 9-10 students.

Ocean Planet resource room

http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov:80/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML
/ocean_planet_resource_room.html

Ocean Planet site - links for Oceanographic and marine science web sites and teaching resources on the Internet.

GBRMPA web site

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority web site — information on the authority and access to some resources for students and teachers.

Sea slug forum

http://www.austmus.gov.au/science/division/invert/mal/forum/

This is the site where you can ask questions and post information on nudibranchs and related sea slugs such as bubble-shells and side-gilled slugs.

 

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Make a booking

There are facilities to cater for a maximum of 33 students per trip (three boats with 11 students on each, one teacher per boat travels free). Prices quoted will include GST and bookings may be made throughout the school year.

For bookings or feedback contact me by…

Post: Simon L Hartley, School of Resource Science and Management, Southern Cross University, P.O. Box 157 Lismore NSW 2480

Phone : (02) 66203251 Fax: (02) 66212669

Email: shartley@scu.edu.au

The year 2000 was the first year I ran snorkelling and marine awareness trips for high schools and I’m still in the process of developing resources and fine tuning planning. I’d be keen to hear your feedback or answer any questions you have.

 

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