Sounds of the Sea

We hear the sounds of coral reef animals, which sound a bit like a sizzling frying pan.

The narrator has a happy woman's voice.

Narrator: This is what a healthy coral reef sounds like! There's quite a lot going on, isn't there? The corals don't make any sounds! So who's so noisy? These are thousands of hunting snapping shrimp! The little shrimp make air bubbles with their claws. When the bubbles burst they make this loud crackling sound.

The narrator pauses. Amid the sizzling is a sound similar to a pigeon cooing.

Narrator: Different reef fishes like this sergeant major join in. And can you hear the quiet whooping of the ambon damselfish? It sounds like a bird, doesn't it?

The narrator pauses again. There's a hooting sound similar to an owl hooting.

Narrator: These healthy reef noises tell baby reef fish that this is a great place to live. In fact, scientists are using recordings like this to attract baby fish back to damaged reefs. The fish are important because some eat algae that would otherwise overgrow the corals. Their poo even fertilises the reef! These recordings are an exciting part of some new coral restoration projects.

The sizzling reef noises fade out.

We hear a faint sloshing noise, and the shimmering sound of rain falling onto the surface of water.

A female narrator speaks over the sounds.

Narrator: Imagine you are a fish or whale living in the ocean. You might hear the sound of rain and waves breaking above you.

The narrator pauses, and there's the sound of a vast electrical echo as lightning strikes the water.

Narrator: You might even hear a loud thump of lightning striking the ocean surface!

The narrator pauses again, and there's a noise that sounds similar to cars on a distant racetrack.

Narrator: And if you live under the sea ice in Antarctica you might hear icebergs scrape against each other. Scientists had to speed up this recording so humans can hear it! Ocean animals are used to all these background noises. But listen to this!

The narrator pauses again, and there's a loud, rhythmic mechanical noise, which sounds similar to a truck driving past.

Narrator: A large cargo ship is passing by. In busy shipping lanes, it might get so loud that it hurts your ears or makes it hard to hear others of your kind. You might also hear sonar noise, underwater seismic testing and more. Some companies are now testing ships with quieter propellers. That’s a good start, but we still have a long way to go. Thankfully, unlike other types of pollution once noise pollution is gone, it’s gone for good.

The noise pollution fades, and we hear the shimmering sound of rain again. Then all sounds fade away.

We hear a crackling, sizzling sound similar to oil in a frypan.

The narrator speaks over the sounds with a deep male voice.

Narrator: What would make such crackling noises? It's a sea urchin! In fact, it's many sea urchins moving about and feeding. Long-spined sea urchins make this sound when they scrape kelp off rocks with their five razor-sharp teeth. They are an important part of a healthy ecosystem but they love kelp so much they can devour entire forests of it, which can be a problem. Kelp is an important food source and habitat for many other animals, and when the kelp goes these animals go too. In Tasmania, the East Australian Current, made stronger by climate change, is carrying long-spined sea urchin larvae down from their usual home in NSW. Local wildlife and fisheries are suffering because of the damage these urchins are wreaking. These is just one example of why it is so important for us to manage and protect our marine environments.

The crackling, sizzling sounds fade away.