The Change of Tide and Our Second Visit to Frog Island

We kayaked to the Frog island for the second time enroute to Sungai Mamam. We actually visited the islet twice during this Sungai Mamam kayak trip 

It was quite a different experience from the first time.

The first time we visited Pulau Sekudu, a.k.a. the Frog island, was about one year ago, by chance, and the tide was at its lowest. Many water fowls - egrets, herons, and curlews were lingering on the tidal wetland.

This time, tide was between low tide and high tide, no more exposed wetland, and many rocks were submerged. We could get much closer to the islet, and have a close up look of some birds.

A couple landmarks provided good reference to the tide height change.

One is the green beacon on a rock in the middle of Johor Strait. 

It sat on a islet in March 2022 when it was low tide; and this time around 9:45am, 3 hours after low tide, it sat a big rock; and 1:15pm, about 10 minutes after high tide, it stood in water.

green beacon at low tide March 2022 

green beacon between high/low tides April 23, 2023

at High Tide, 

The other landmark is the Frog shaped rock. In March 2022 during low tide, it stood on land, then it stood in water between low/high tides, and half submerged during high tide.

low tide March 2022

between high/low tides April 23, 2023

at High Tide

Experiencing the tide height change firsthand and the rising tide carrying our kayak into Sungai Mamam left me in awe of the sheer power of nature. Though I know that the ebb and flow of tides are caused by the Moon's phases, the experience made me curious to learn more about the exact mechanics of this natural phenomenon.

During our return trip from Sungai Mamam, we took advantage of the high tide to paddle around the Frog Island rock formation, to take in its beauty up close. As if on cue, the sky provided a stunning backdrop to the scene, with a perfect tapestry of blue skies, fluffy white clouds, and lush greenery from the trees on the island complementing the emerald waters below.

Upon closer inspection, we identified the birds on the rocks as Curlews, more specifically Eurasian Curlews, distinguished by their pinkish lower beak. Although we only saw a pair of great grey herons on the island this time, we did observe two nests in the trees.

The experience left me humbled by the sheer power of nature and filled me with appreciations for its boundless beauty.

Two heron - one in the center of the photo by the nest, and the other at upper right of the photo