Coastal Natives

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Coastal Natives

On a mission to inspire new ocean lovers and conservationists through film, art and community. For more information, please visit www.coastalnatives.sg.

Despite how vital the ocean is to our way of living, still not many realise how heavily we depend on it and how close we are to losing the heart of this planet. Created to increase ocean awareness, Coastal Natives organises events and exhibitions with the mission of inspiring new ocean lovers and conservationists. Through leveraging film, art and education, we aim to show audiences how incredible

the ocean is so that they’ll want to protect it, and offer a fun platform to learn more about the environment and what we can all do to help. Our community of ocean ambassadors engages with children and youth; the general public and corporates; and encourages audiences to act for the ocean. We’re strong believers that anyone can be a conservationist and are always on the lookout for creative collaborations and positive, dedicated friends to join us! Coastal Natives is made possible by an impassioned like-minded community and proudly supported by Rumah Foundation.

25/03/2025

Hang in there, we’re in the last week of March! ✊

In the deep sea, marine detritus, also known as “marine snow”, is a continuous shower of organic material (dead organisms, faeces, etc.) that falls from the upper, sunlit waters, serving as a crucial food source and energy transfer mechanism for deep-sea organisms. One creature’s waste is another’s supper! 🍕

18/03/2025

Over 800 marine species were newly discovered after two years of collaborative efforts by scientists, governments, museums and others participating in the Ocean Census, a global alliance founded to accelerate the discovery of marine life.

From a guitar shark to venomous snails with tiny “harpoons”, sea butterflies, mud dragons, and even new species of water bears - our ocean is teeming with life we’re only just beginning to know! 🌊

14/03/2025

Is it a fish? A cartoon? 👀 Meet the sea toad (AKA coffinfish) – a deep-sea anglerfish that looks straight out of a movie! Scientists are still uncovering its secrets, but one thing’s for sure: these deep-sea creatures and ecosystems deserve protection. The more we learn, the more we realize how much we don’t know! 🌀

12/03/2025

The ocean is full of tiny marvels - who else is obsessed with these?

Did you know the first species, Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse, was discovered completely by accident? 🐴 Marine biologist George Bargibant only spotted it after collecting a gorgonian sea fan in 1969! Measuring under 2 cm, these tiny seahorses remained hidden for centuries. Since then, eight more species have been identified, with the latest described in May 2020.

This series of photos was contributed by from Ocean Canvas 2025! 📸✨

10/03/2025

Rising sea levels? Don’t leave it to the fishies to eat the ground!!! 🐠❌

A new study gives yet another reason why we urgently need to combat climate change. According to researchers, it is estimated that between 4 million and 72 million people could migrate over the 21st century due to an increase coastal flooding as relative sea levels rise.

They found that sea level rise ‘is inevitable’ through the 21st century and beyond ‘unless there is appropriate adaptation’ such as global mitigation efforts and proactive planning procedures to address the challenges laid out by the research. For low-lying coastal regions these include land loss, forced migrations and economic burdens.

08/03/2025

Recognise these iconic characters? This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women—both on land and under the sea—who inspire us to make waves... because ladies rock!!!! 💙

06/03/2025

Last month, our short film MURK! (Exploring Singapore from Below) was chosen as part of the official selection at the Changing Climate, Changing Lives (CCCL) Film Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. The festival was followed by satellite screenings across the country, amplifying important environmental stories across Asia.

A huge thank you and congratulations to the incredible team at for curating such a powerful lineup of films that highlight the urgent realities facing our planet. It was an inspiring event and a powerful reminder of how film can drive awareness and action for a better future. Here’s to more stories that spark change! 🌏✨

MURK! is available to watch in the link in bio!

04/03/2025

The Oscars 2025 and World Wildlife Day landed on the same day—talk about an unexpected crossover! 👀🐠 Were these red carpet looks inspired by the ocean, or are the uncanny similarities simply a coincidence? You decide!!

28/02/2025

Imagine scientists’ surprise when they discovered living glass-sponge reefs—which they thought became extinct 40 million years ago! Glass sponges have a long and interesting history. In fact, they’re some of the longest-living ocean creatures. Swipe to learn more about these fascinating sponges and what lies in our oceans depths 🧽

27/02/2025

With their alien appearance yet strangely familiar intelligence, cephalopods are easily some of the ocean’s more intriguing creatures 🦑 Cephalopods are a family of marine-dwelling molluscs that date back to around 485 million years ago - that’s a long time before the dinosaurs and even before sharks! Today, there are four broad types of cephalopod - octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses.

Fun fact: Cuttlefish eyes are shaped with a distinctive “”W”” shaped pupil because it helps them balance the uneven distribution of light in their shallow water environmen 〰️ 👁 While cuttlefish have only one kind of photoreceptor, a recent study suggests that the unique shape of their pupils may act like a prism, scattering colours into their individual wavelengths and allowing the animal to process colour through the polarisation of light.

This photograph series was contributed by Suhas () from Ocean Canvas 2024 📸✨

21/02/2025

Ever seen a black seadevil anglerfish alive? If you caught the viral video of this deep-sea anglerfish swimming near the surface, you witnessed something incredibly rare. Though it didn’t survive long after, even a brief glimpse is a powerful reminder of the vast, hidden world of life in the ocean’s depths — one we barely understand, think about or get to see.

The deep ocean habitat is the largest living space on Earth, and truly demands our respect and protection. 💙

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http://www.coastalnatives.sg/

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Our Story

Water is life, and yet the seas upon which we depend on to survive are in peril. Today, our ocean is at risk from pollution, overfishing, global warming, ocean acidification and habitat loss.

Created to increase ocean awareness, we organise events with the mission of inspiring new ocean lovers and conservationists! We engage with children and youth; the general public and corporates; and encourage audiences to act for the ocean. All profits go to supporting educational outreach, reef cleanups and other conservation projects.

We strongly believe in collective impact and are always on the lookout for dedicated friends to join us. Opportunities for volunteers of all ages and ocean literacy are welcome.

“You can't love something and become a champion for it if you don't know it exists."- THOMAS PESCHAK, CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHER.