Australian East Coast Marine Science Voyage

Overview

From the 17th-25th of June 2025, Melissa White, Director of The International SeaKeepers Society South Pacific, embarked on a pioneering citizen science expedition aboard DISCOVERY Yacht Nyla. With an all-female crew, the voyage spanned from the Gold Coast to Cairns, Australia. Central to the mission was the Australian East Coast Marine Mammal Sounds project—a pilot citizen science initiative under the Whales and Climate Research Program. This groundbreaking effort involved the deployment of Hydromoth hydrophones to collect acoustic data along key whale migration routes, enhancing research into humpback whale vocal behaviour and habitat use.

Over the 11-day journey, the team conducted four hydrophone deployments, capturing underwater recordings at each anchorage—some left in place for up to two days. A total of 31 humpback whale sightings were logged using the Orca Oceanwatchers app, contributing valuable visual data to complement the acoustic recordings. The crew navigated over 950 nautical miles, collecting seafloor bathymetry data using a Seabed2030 logger, and completed one Coral Watch survey on the Great Barrier Reef, submitting coral health observations to the global monitoring database.

By integrating acoustic monitoring, visual surveys, bathymetric mapping, and coral health assessments, this expedition exemplified SeaKeepers’ innovative approach to ocean science—leveraging private vessels, cutting-edge technology, and citizen science to deepen understanding of marine ecosystems along Australia’s East Coast.