If you’re looking to make your swim in one of Sydney’s ocean pools even more magical, we’d recommend heading to Clontarf – which is now home to 100 super rare White’s seahorses. The tiny ethereal creatures were raised and released into Clontarf tidal pool in December 2023 by Sea Life Sydney Aquarium as part of a breeding program aiming to boost the endangered species' population.
The White’s seahorse – one of only four species of seahorses found in NSW waters – is known to be native to the east coast of Australia, but populations of these fairy-like aquatic creatures have been in decline over the past few decades. Damage to the seahorse’s habitats have been identified as the main cause of their population decline, and though their natural habitats are organically occurring areas such as sponge gardens, seagrass meadows and soft corals, the seahorse is also known to dwell in artificial habitats such as protective swimming net enclosures. With this in mind, the conservation team from Sea Life Sydney Aquarium released the recent group of 100 seahorses into Clontarf’s protected tidal pool, after previously releasing a record group of 380 baby seahorses into Chowder Bay back in July 2023.
While it’s likely that swimmers at the seahorses' new Clontarf home (referred to by the conservation team as the "seahorse hotel") will see the tiny delicate creatures (they grow to a maximum length of 16cm) clinging to the net of the pool, you’re encouraged not to touch (for obvious reasons).
You can learn more about Sea Life Sydney Aquarium’s conservation program over here.