What We See When We Swim
This article first appeared in the October 2026 edition of the SSG Multisports newsletter.
By Clare Tilby
One of the joys of swimming at Suttons Beach is the wildlife spotting, the birds above; the fish, turtles, and stingrays below; and the sea grasses and rocky outcrops. Even though we have been swimming the same path for many years, there is almost always something new to see. I have started a journal of the flora and fauna observed while swimming at Suttons Beach over the years. It is a retrospective and therefore patchy record up to July 2026, when I started recording more diligently after each swim. I have recorded things that I have seen, as well as things told to me by others on SSG swims. It’s not a complete list, just as best as I can make it. The main reason I’ve started the journal is the recognition that things change all the time, so I don’t want to take it for granted how amazing it is to see all these natural phenomena, and over time we may not see so much diversity.
Common places to see turtles and fish are near the grasses and rocky bits, in front of the Suttons Beach amenities block, in front of Scotts Point amenities block, around the corner of the SLSC rock wall, and the rocks between Glasshouse and the boat ramp. Swimming over the waving, multicoloured pink, cream and brown-toned sea grasses in all these spots is magical on a winter’s day with the sun shining down. Go slowly and enjoy the show. In general, winter visibility is better than summer, so we see more then. We have seen plenty of turtles over the years, mostly green ones. Green and loggerhead turtles live in Moreton Bay year-round.
Fish are seen too frequently to record each time. Common species we see are flathead, whiting, tailor, and bream, with the occasional school of mullet in winter. Little golden trevally (aka pilot fish) around 2 to 4cm long often accompany swimmers for quite a distance, swimming right in front of your goggles. Blue swimmer crabs are common, but in some seasons they are plentiful, while in others they are more occasional. Stingrays are also common, but again we see more at some times. One season (2023) we saw lots of big, spotted rays (possibly eagle rays?) but more common are shovel nose rays and dinner-plate size rays, probably whiptail stingrays (Dasyatidae). Dolphins are also regularly seen, usually frolicking a bit further out in the channel than where we usually swim.
Photo courtesy of Keira
There was a big change on the ocean floor after the flood of February 2022, with noticeably less sea grass and more silt. We couldn’t swim at Suttons in February/March 2022 due to the poor water quality after the flood. The water was brown and full of detritus, including large tree branches. It has taken until winter 2026 for the sea grasses to be spectacular again. The 2022 flood was different to the 2011 flood because flood waters inundated areas on the Brisbane northside that had been untouched since 1974. As well as riverine flooding, the flooding in creeks on Brisbane’s north side surpassed all previous height records. Erosion all along the catchments and creek banks, combined with heavier rainfall due to climate change, has caused enormous volumes of fine sediment to be washed into the bay. The buildup of mud on the floor of Moreton Bay smothers underwater plants and reduces habitat for animals that used to live there. Close to shore, there are also changing undulations in the sea floor over time, with deeper and shallower patches emerging at various places.
In summer, a constant annoyance is “sea lice” which are actually tiny jellyfish larvae and cause intense itching and a rash (especially on the, ah-hem, more sensitive parts of the body). Sea lice bites are harmless but some people are more adversely affected than others and there are many different viewpoints about the best prevention and treatment methods. Take your pick. You can try no togs, double togs, high-necked long sleeve togs, a Vaseline or sunscreen barrier, anti-histamines, aloe vera, Soov spray, a piezoelectric zapper … the list goes on. Unfortunately, global warming is creating more favourable conditions for sea lice, so this problem is not going to go away. December to February are the worst times. Moreton Bay Regional Council does not regularly test water quality at Redcliffe. The MBRC advised me that they only test water quality after an “event” (e.g. the floods) and they post a notice on Facebook and Council’s website when it is considered unsafe to swim. This is different to Brisbane City Council, which makes water testing results for various locations available to the public, including for Sandgate and Shorncliffe (https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/clean-and-green/natural-environment-and-water/water/water-quality-monitoring). Highlights by year:
2023. In retrospect, this was a bumper winter. It seemed we saw a turtle almost every long swim. We saw the big one with barnacles many times, but also smaller ones. We also saw lots of rays, including the big spotted rays up near the rock wall. In November 2023, we saw a fever of at least 8 small rays circling just past the rocks, on the way to Glasshouse. Blue swimmer crabs were also abundant. They wave their claws at you as you swim over.
2024. No turtles and only a few stingrays noted this year. We saw a big jellyfish (perhaps a moon jellyfish?) in September, a sea snake in October (swum over by Sherie), and little golden trevally in December 2024. Notably, from the shore near the start point swimmers saw a huge raft of cormorants near the rock wall (24/8/24), a dugong (8/9/24), and dolphins (25/11/24).
2025. Also a lean year. March/April 2025 and then October/November 2025 there was LOTS of rain, swimming conditions were very ordinary, so during the winter of 2025 visibility was not great. Records include small clear jellies (salps aka “nature’s jellybean”) in January, a large wobbegong (10/6/25) and a turtle (6/7/25), both at the reef near the start. At the less joyous end of the scale, on Christmas Eve 2025 Keira was stung by a morbakka jellyfish. She needed help to get out of the water and a trip to hospital for the pain. Morbakka is a type of box jellyfish, also known as fire jelly. It is found in parts of Moreton Bay in the summer months. It has long transparent tentacles and its sting can cause an allergic reaction (pain, nausea, dizziness). A couple of other SSG members have also been stung, though not as severely, so unfortunately this was not an isolated occurrence.
2026. So far this year has seen a return of better conditions and more wildlife. On 4/1/26 a curious short-tailed shearwater (aka mutton bird, the most abundant Australian sea bird) swam right up to a group of us waiting at Scotts Point. These birds are migratory and not often seen close to shore, so s/he may have been a little off-course. Sea grasses are more lush and beds of sea grass are more numerous. In winter (12/7/26) we had stopped to admire a big wobbegong, about 1.5 metres long, near Scotts Point, and then, the first turtle we had seen for a long time dashed past us! Lots of small stingrays have been spotted, including a fever of small brown rays (twice, 26/7/26 and 10/8/26). Large rays have also returned. On one swim (9/8/26) we saw a small shovel nose ray, a blue swimmer crab, lots of fish, and a large ray almost a metre across. On another swim (23/8/26) we first saw two rays, including a spotted one with a very long tail, then a medium sized grey ray with two baby flathead nestled up beside it (almost sheltering under the “wings”). On 2/8/26, two lucky swimmers saw a dugong while setting out the buoy near Glasshouse.
I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2026 has in store. Please DM me if you have any flora and fauna observations or recollections to contribute to the journal or if you have more knowledge about observations that will add to my limited grasp of aquatic life. I’m aiming to keep recording what we see for as long as I can.
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