Annual Coral Spawning on GBR
2020-12-04 20:30 - 2020-12-07 05:00 (Australia/Sydney)
This once-a-year, coral spawning event is happening on the outer Great Barrier Reef this weekend. The ABC will be streaming video live from 8:30pm Friday on ABC and iview: Reef Live
Background at: ABC Science 04dec20

Clean Up Australia Day 2021
2021-03-07
What will you pledge this year to help reduce waste in our environment?

International Women's Day 2021
2021-03-08
IWD 2021 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge
A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.
We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.
From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.

Seaweed Forests Festival 2021
2021-04-09 - 2021-05-09 | Manly Art Gallery and Museum, 1 West Esplanade, Manly, NSW, 2095, Australia
The Seaweed Forests Festival blends science, art and food in a celebration of the lush underwater ecosystems that line the Sydney coastline, as well as the entire Great Southern Reef.
Generously funded by the My Community Grant program from the NSW Government, this festival invites the community to participate in a celebration of our remarkable underwater forests through engagement with science and the communicative power of art. There will be panel discussions, hands-on restoration work, snorkelling tours, tastings of seaweed delicacies, and much more.

Earth Day 2021
2021-04-20 - 2021-04-22
Join thousands of organizations by coming together for three days of Climate Action, 20-22 April 2021

National Reconciliation Week 2021
2021-05-27 - 2021-06-03

World Ocean's Day 2021
2021-06-08
Protecting 30% of our blue planet for a healthy ocean and climate

With your help and that of hundreds of other organizations worldwide, we will support and grow the global movement to protect 30% of our blue planet by 2030 (“30×30”). A healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis. By supporting 30×30, we can protect our planet’s life support systems – specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate, and biodiversity.
Decisions about the future of our blue planet are being made this year by world leaders, and they need to hear from you! The actions that our leaders take (or fail to take) this year will determine the health of our blue planet and security of future generations for decades to come.
We will very soon be posting resources and toolkits to help you and your organization integrate the Conservation Action Focus into your activities, celebrations, and other events. Stay tuned for more details!

Urchin & Kelp Symposium
2021-06-17 09:00 - 17:00
The Nature Coast Marine Group has been instrumental in the creation of a symposium taking place in Narooma on the importance of healthy kelp forests and of controlling numbers of long-spined sea urchins. The symposium will be led by scientists from the University of New South Wales. The intention is to have a science-based introduction, followed by practical discussions as to what action is feasible and how it should be progressed. Central to this will be various approaches to culling urchins, but we will also be urging strengthening natural controls. We are also working for citizen science involvement and a central role for the Batemans Marine Park.
Here are links to a couple of videos that can help you understand what it is all about:
“Hidden Deserts” – a short video showing what urchin barrens are:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGYj8YItrXA&t=8s
“Sea Urchin Science” – A discussion with University of Tasmania scientist, Dr Scott Ling, taken when he was in the area doing research:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGYj8YItrXA&t=8s

NAIDOC Week 2021
2021-07-04 - 2021-07-11
The NAIDOC 2021 theme – Heal Country! – calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.
Country that is more than a place and inherent to our identity.
Country that we speak about like a person, sustaining our lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally.
Heal Country, heal our nation.
NAIDOC Week 2021 will be held from Sunday 4 July to Sunday 11 July.
For further information on the NAIDOC 2021 theme please visit: 2021 theme.
Media contact: NAIDOC@niaa.gov.au

RUOK Day 2021
2021-09-09
THIS YEAR THE MESSAGE IS:
Are they really OK? Ask them today.

Do you know how the people in your world are really going?
Life’s ups and downs happen to all of us. So chances are someone you know might be struggling. Your genuine support can make a difference whatever they are facing, big or small.
So, don’t wait until someone’s visibly distressed or in crisis. Make a moment meaningful and ask them how they’re really going.
Are they really OK? Ask them today. Your conversation could change a life.
R U OK? has developed FREE resources to help you encourage everyone in your school, workplace and community to think about who in their world might need to be asked how they’re really going and how to make a moment meaningful by asking “are you OK?” Sign up below to view the resources.

World Jellyfish Day
2021-11-03
World Jellyfish Day celebrates this invertebrate that populated Earth’s oceans for millions of years.
Interestingly, despite its name, the jellyfish isn’t actually a fish. While a fish’s anatomy centers around its spine, jellyfish don’t even have a spine. In fact, jellyfish don’t have gills, a brain, heart, bones, or blood. Instead, a jellyfish is made up of 95 percent water. Jellyfish do have skin through which they absorb oxygen and jellyfish swim by contracting and relaxing the muscles around their body or bell.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science
2022-02-11
Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past decades, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.
We seek to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in pursuing technical and scientific careers.

Subsea Expo 2022
2022-02-22 - 2022-02-24

Clean Up Australia Day 2022
2022-03-06
Even small actions can make a HUGE difference! Clean Up Australia today!

International Women's Day 2022
2022-03-08
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

Oceanology International 2022
2022-03-15 - 2022-03-17
Oceanology International is the leading forum to connect with the world’s marine science and ocean technology communities. Their events provide a learning platform from ocean leaders from around the world, boosting technical and blue economy knowledge, and connecting key buyers.

Earth Day
2022-04-22
This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet.

World Turtle Day
2022-05-23
Turtles are a type of reptile that exists in many environments throughout the world and have found their way into literature, poetry, and parable throughout the world’s history. World Turtle Day celebrates these noble reptiles and their place in the world and encourages people to take action to help protect both the common pet turtle and the ever endangered sea turtle.

National Reconciliation Week 2022
2022-05-27 - 2022-06-03
The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.
National Reconciliation Week—27 May to 3 June—is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

World Oceans Day
2022-06-08
The 2022 theme for the United Nations World Ocean Day is Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean.
We need to conserve our wonderful marine resources for future generations. Get involved in the conversation with #WorldOceansDay and #BigBlueFuture and tag @MSCbluefishtick for the chance to have your post shared to our networks.

2022 MATE International Competition
2022-06-23 - 2022-06-25
Join MATE as they dive in and celebrate our 20th World Championship of the MATE ROV Competition! For twenty years, MATE has inspired future generations to believe in our ocean. It is time, once again, to bring together the global community and challenge participants to become the blue tech heroes of tomorrow.
This year, the MATE ROV Competition resoundingly accepted the invitation from the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to explore solutions for problems that impact all of us. MATE created our 20th-year missions to address these issues in an effort to work towards “delivering the ocean we need for the future we want!”

Shark Awareness Day
2022-07-14
Like top predators in any ecosystem, sharks play an essential role in keeping the seas healthy and productive, and yet various threats make these ocean oligarchs a persecuted and vulnerable species. While no one is suggesting we go out and hug a great white on Shark Awareness Day, it’s the least we can do to respect these wonderful creatures and help protect them.

International Whale Shark Day
2022-08-30
We love these gentle giants of the ocean and are sad to say Whale Sharks are listed as Endangered and are at risk of extinction in the wild. International Whale Shark Day is used to highlight their wonder, their role in keeping our ocean ecosystems healthy and balanced – and the threats they face so that we can collectively work to make sure we do not lose these disappearing giants.

World Octopus Day
2022-10-08
Octopuses are worthy of appreciation for a number of reasons. First of all, they are one of the earth’s great survivors. Indeed, despite their relatively short lifespan, octopus fossils date back more than 300 million years, meaning that they pre-date even dinosaurs.
Octopus are also highly intelligent. With around 500 million neurons located in their brains and arms, they are able to bypass their instincts, learn lessons and solve problems in a way that not very many other sea life creatures are able to. Some of them have even been seen to be creative, by using discarded coconut shells and making them into mobile homes. Ingenious!
In addition, octopuses are visually stunning, coming in various different colors, a multitude of sizes, and all sorts of shapes. Some live in the very shallow waters of the sea, while others can be found thousands of meters below the surface of the water. Sometimes called the chameleons of the sea, the octopus is often able to change colors to blend in with its surroundings as a form of protection against predators.

World Jellyfish Day
2022-11-03
Jellyfish are in the phylum Cnidarians an ancient group of animals with a history of more than 650 million years. The word Cnidarian comes from the Ancient Greek: knide = nettle, named after a type of plant with stinging hairs. They have soft, hollow bodies, live in water and generally have tentacles.
Fun Fact: Moon Jelly can age backwards! They can revert back into polyp stage and then regrow into an adult again. Moon Jellies can also regenerate lost body parts.

2022 Maritime RobotX Challenge
2022-11-11 - 2022-11-17 | Sydney International Regatta Centre, Old Castlereagh Rd, Castlereagh, NSW, 2749, Australia
The Maritime RobotX Challenge is an international, university-level competition designed to foster student interest in autonomous robotic systems operating in the maritime domain, with an emphasis on the science and engineering of cooperative autonomy. This competition facilitates the building of international relationships between students, academic institutions, and industry partners.
Gather your bearings and set out on this systems engineering journey where you will get the opportunity to broaden your exposure to autonomy and robotic technologies by developing a maritime system using the WAM-V surface craft manufactured by Marine Advanced Robotics.
