Friends of Wave Break Island

01/11/2026

30/10/2026

Posted by Reef Check Australia

Wavebreak Island, you certainly keep us on our toes. 🌊

Last week, our Reef Check Australia team headed back beneath the surface at Wavebreak Island for another seafloor clean-up.

It’s a site we love, but it can also be a tricky one. Conditions can move quickly through here, so we allowed plenty of extra time to make sure we could work safely. This time, the ocean played nicely. Beautiful conditions and great visibility meant we could get a good look at what was hiding on the seafloor.

And there was plenty.

Our volunteers removed 18.5 kg of debris, including more than 80 pieces of fishing line, fishing debris, rope and cord, plastic bags, a bathmat, a corrugated vacuum hose, a tent, a doona cover, a bread tie and, somewhat inexplicably, several pairs of men’s underpants.

One thing that stayed behind was a large tyre. It was simply too difficult to safely remove on the day, but it had also become home to marine life. A good reminder that underwater clean-ups aren’t always as simple as “rubbish = remove”. We need to consider safety, what has started living on or around an item, and whether removing it might cause more disturbance than leaving it in place.

Wavebreak Island is incredibly popular with divers, snorkellers and boat traffic, and unfortunately, we continue to find significant amounts of debris here. Fishing line and other entanglement hazards are particularly important to remove before they become a problem for marine life.

Speaking of marine life, the clean-up crew had plenty of company, including lots of nudibranchs and one particularly impressive stonefish.

Can you spot it in the photo? 👀

A huge thank you to our volunteers who gave their time to help clean up this little patch of underwater Gold Coast. Thankyou also to Gold Coast Dive Adventures for getting us to site and back again. It takes a village, so thank you.

Reef Check Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and sea Country where we work and pays respect to Elders past and present.

The ‘Shore to Seafloor: Tackling Marine Debris Across the Marine Environment’ project is proudly funded by the Queensland Government.

And a little challenge for the next time you’re out exploring our coast: pick up one thing that doesn’t belong there.

One piece of fishing line. One bit of plastic. One piece of rubbish.
Every little bit removed is one less piece left in our ocean. 💙

💙 Keen to join us on the next one?
🌐 www.reefcheckaustralia.org

24/10/2026

🌱🌊 Seagrass, our underwater meadows 🌊🌱

It might be easy to overlook, but the seagrass around Wave Break Island is an important part of the place we all love

These underwater meadows provide food, shelter and nursery grounds for marine life, while helping to keep our waterways clean and healthy by improving water quality

Looking after Wave Break Island means caring for what’s beneath the water too

We can all play a part — boat and anchor with care, keep rubbish out of our waterways, use pump out facilities to dispose of onboard 💩 and avoid disturbing seagrass beds

🌱 Healthy seagrass
💧 Healthy waterways
🐠 Thriving marine life

Together, let’s look after this special place for everyone who enjoys it — above and below the water

Thanks Ocean Connect

23/10/2026

⚠️ NO IMMEDIATE OIL THREAT — BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER POLLUTION RISKS?

This partially submerged houseboat sits at the northern end of Wave Break Island. Gold Coast Waterways Authority says its crew placed a yellow safety buoy nearby and confirmed “no immediate oil pollution threat”

But oil is only one concern. What assessment has been made of sewage, greywater, batteries, cleaning chemicals, plastics and loose debris?

Locals report that this houseboat has remained on its mooring without leaving to pump out wastewater. What arrangements were in place to collect and safely dispose of that waste, and have those arrangements been checked?

The Broadwater supports marine life, shorebirds and seagrass, alongside people swimming, kayaking, fishing and boating

We wonder why GCWA don’t undertake a comprehensive pollution assessment, secure any hazardous materials and debris, and provide a clear recovery or removal plan.

We wonder if they will explain what has been inspected, what risks remain and who is responsible for the next steps?

A safety buoy marks the hazard. We need action to resolve it.

💙 Protect our island. Protect our waterways.

Glad to hear the owner is ok after a check up in hospital

19/10/2026

💧WATER CONNECTS EVERYTHING💧National Water Week | 19–25 October 2026

Every single human needs healthy waterways, trees and bees to survive. From our rivers and catchments to the Broadwater and the shores of Wave Break Island, water connects our community, our wildlife and our way of life

Healthy, well-managed waterways support Wave Break Island’s thriving marine life, seagrass meadows and shorebird feeding grounds. They also protect the places we swim, kayak, fish and enjoy with our families

Protecting them takes ongoing investment, regular monitoring and maintenance, responsible development, erosion control and action against water pollution

The amazing team at Surfrider GC have tested and identified ongoing water quality concerns in the Broadwater—reinforcing the need for continued monitoring and practical action to protect our waterways health. Keep up the great work Surfrider Foundation!

🚨 SEE A BOAT DISCHARGING SEWAGE? REPORT IT PROMPTLY

Your report could help Maritime Safety Queensland respond to a potential pollution incident and protect public health and aquatic ecosystems

📞☀️ MSQ Southport:
(07) 5585 1810

📞🌙 After-hours incident reporting:
(07) 3623 3900

📝 Online pollution report: https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/marine-pollution/polrep

If it is safe to do so, note:

•Vessel name, registration, type and colour
•Exact location or GPS coordinates
•Date and time
•Photos or video showing the vessel and suspected discharge
•Do not approach the vessel or put yourself at risk

Boat sewage can introduce harmful bacteria, viruses and excess nutrients, putting people and aquatic ecosystems at risk. Boaters should use shore-based or mobile pump-out facilities to dispose of holding-tank waste responsibly

💧Our Broadwater deserves clean water, healthy habitats and effective management. If you see suspected pollution, report it promptly and encourage others to do the same

18/10/2026

🐦💚 AUSSIE BIRD COUNT | WAVE BREAK ISLAND NEEDS YOU 📅 19–25 October 2026

Calling everyone visiting Wave Break Island and its sandbanks this week: please spare 20 minutes to count the birds around you

Whether you’re boating, kayaking or enjoying the beach, choose one spot to quietly watch, count and record. Your observations contribute valuable information to BirdLife Australia—and our shorebirds deserve particular attention

Register, download the app and explore free resources here >>
aussiebirdcount.org.au⁠

There has never been a more important time to care about our birds. Australian Wildlife Conservancy reports that more than 200 Australian bird species and subspecies are nationally listed as threatened, compared with 134 in the mid-1990s. What’s more, Australia’s bird extinctions have been concentrated on islands!

🌏 Queensland’s coastal habitats form part of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, supporting migratory shorebirds on their extraordinary journeys. Wave Break Island’s shores provide places to feed, rest and breed—and protecting these habitats requires ongoing monitoring and conservation action

Birds also disperse seeds, pollinate plants, control insects and recycle nutrients. Their wellbeing is intricate to the health of our ecosystems

⚠️ HABITAT LOSS HAS LASTING CONSEQUENCES

Land clearing for development and infrastructure destroys and fragments feeding and nesting areas, reducing breeding success. Ground-nesting birds such as our Pied Oystercatchers are especially vulnerable. Recovery can take decades—what we protect today matters for generations

The Australian Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan 2022–2032 provides a ten-year roadmap for recovery. Properly funded and implemented recovery plans, habitat protection and long-term monitoring can make a critical difference

🔭 Please give birds their space. Observe quietly from a distance, use binoculars if available, keep clear of nesting areas and never approach feeding or resting flocks to make them move

💚 For everyone who loves Wave Break Island: give 20 minutes this week to the birds that depend on it.

Count them. Record them. Respect their space. Protect their future.

Register, download the app and explore free resources here >>
aussiebirdcount.org.au

16/10/2026

🐦 JUST CHILLING ON WAVE BREAK ISLAND’S NORTH WALL

These Australian Pied Oystercatchers certainly know a good spot to take a break! 💙

These breeding beauties are easily recognisable by their black heads and upperparts, white bellies, long orange-red bills and pinkish-red legs

💡 FUN FACT: According to Queensland Wader Study Group the tip of an Australian Pied Oystercatcher’s bill has a cluster of mechanoreceptors that create a “tactile map” of the sand, allowing the bird to detect movements of invertebrates hidden below the surface through touch alone

Their bills are clever feeding tools, used to probe sand and mud for food and prise apart shellfish to reach the meal inside

Australian Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus longirostris), like all native birds, are legally protected in Queensland. Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, they are fully protected by law, making it a strict offence to disturb them, destroy their active sand-scrape nests, or handle their eggs

Wave Break Island is a pristine, man-made island that has evolved into a vital wildlife sanctuary

To protect Wave Break Island local ecology and nesting bird species, the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) enforces specific regulations for day visitors

🌿 Let’s keep their Wave Break Island home peaceful. Give resting and feeding birds plenty of space, enjoy watching from a distance and put rubbish in the bins provided. If the bins are full, please take your rubbish to shore

💚 Friends of Wave Break Island — protecting and preserving this special place for everyone, community and wildlife