Rob’s Blog

Recent ocean mapping events within Australia’s marine region.

David Attenborough’s 99th birthday

David Attenborough’s 99th birthday

Happy 99th birthday Sir David Attenborough. Here is us together on MV Alucia in Cairns, Australia during the filming of 'David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef' in 2014. Looking forward to seeing 'Ocean with David Attenborough'.Sir David and me onboard MV AluciaVideo

How to name a reef

How to name a reef

How do you name a reef in the Great Barrier Reef? One way is to propose a name to the Queensland Government, responsible for naming reefs lying within Coastal Waters on the GBR. Here, we propose 'Monument Reef' for the spectacular 500m-tall detached reef discovered...

CSB on the Great Barrier Reef: Project update

CSB on the Great Barrier Reef: Project update

On 28 March 2025, I presented a remote talk: 'Crowdsourced bathymetry on the Great Barrier Reef: Project update', at the IHO Crowdsourced Bathymetry Working Group Meeting 16, held in Wellington New Zealand.Vessel traffic in the Great Barrier ReefAdditional Media...

Report for expedition: Visioning the Coral Sea Marine Park

Report for expedition: Visioning the Coral Sea Marine Park

What does a month and half of continuous mapping around Australia's Coral Sea Marine Park with the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s RV Falkor look like? The first complete maps around the steep flanks of all 30 reefs on the Queensland Plateau.3D view of the Coral Sea Marine...

SI 1047 survey in Queensland Plateau

SI 1047 survey in Queensland Plateau

Protecting our shores - congratulations to the Australian Hydrographic Office and EGS Survey for commencing the survey SI 1047, in Australia’s Coral Sea Marine Park. This SI 1047 multibeam survey was proposed following the mapping by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's RV...

Crowdsourced bathy data from Spoilsport

Crowdsourced bathy data from Spoilsport

Another successful batch of crowdsourced bathymetry data from adventure dive vessel MV Spoilsport, collected over 100s of line km on the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Next steps: remove tidal component and 'no bottom detection' soundings, then revise 3D...

20 years of ocean mapping

20 years of ocean mapping

Reflecting on 20 years of ocean mapping, strategically targeting the deep Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea marine parks. I have been involved with some 40 expeditions, many at sea but also remotely, resulting in 305 thousand sq km of new map data within Australia's...

Report for expedition: Pinging in the New Year

Report for expedition: Pinging in the New Year

What does one month of continuous mapping with Schmidt Ocean Institute’s RV Falkor look like? Try 40,000 sq km of new map data in Australia’s Tasman and Coral seas, and contributing to the global Seabed 2030 Project. Link to final report below.3D view of map in Tasman...

HMAS Melville Decommissioning

HMAS Melville Decommissioning

I was privileged to attend the HMAS Melville Decommissioning Ceremony in Cairns today. The Melville was a workhorse of the Australian hydrographic surveying fleet and in other operations for over two decades. During that period, I was invited three times to searide...