Where is Reef Cam?

Situated in the heart of Port Phillip Bay at Pope’s Eye, the webcams open up Victoria’s underwater world to global audiences and provide a new environmental monitoring station for the Bay.

Pope’s Eye was the ideal location to install the Reef Cam infrastructure (including a solar energy system and other electronics) due to the available above-water views of abundant seabirds on the jetty and underwater views of the marine life below.

What is Reef Cam used for?

Education and awareness

Reef Cam has many benefits and can be used to:

Build awareness about the value of Victoria’s marine life.

Support the annual Great Victorian Fish Count, run by the Victorian National Parks Association’s Reef Watch Program, where remote schools (e.g. Mildura, Albury) in Victoria can now participate in the event by viewing Reef Cam.

Assist teachers as a tool to educate students about marine life.

Research

Reef Cam plays an important role in monitoring the health of Port Phillip Bay through the underwater science node (not yet available) which collects water quality data in real time. This data will be integrated in the EPA’s bay-wide monitoring program and nationally into the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS).

In addition, Reef Cam also has potential research benefits through partnerships with Parks Victoria and Deakin University who use the above water camera to monitor the Australiasian Gannets.

Over the next few years we are aiming to operationalise machine learning and image recognition technology so that Port Phillip Bay’s marine life can be monitored electronically and in real-time via the live streams. The data generated will be incorporated into research to track the health of the bay and inform management decisions.

Who uses Reef Cam?

Reef Cam is available for everyone to view and use including:

Divers and boaters checking out the bay’s conditions before heading out on the water.

Teachers providing marine education for students.

Researchers monitoring the health of the Bay to inform management decisions.

Researchers monitoring Australasian Gannets.

People around the world who can appreciate and marvel at our unique marine life.

Installing Reef Cam

We worked with Kina Diving (infrastructure construction) and Ocean Blueprint (webcam supplier) to establish the technical design of all webcam infrastructure, site selection and installation.

All installation works were carried out in line with Parks Victoria’s issued Scientific and Works Permits, with every care taken to respect the natural values of this unique location.

Underwater camera

The underwater webcam is mounted on concrete blocks that have been attached to the seabed using manta ray anchors to ensure the strong currents don’t overturn or move the infrastructure. The webcam was positioned to both maximise the natural features within the field of view and minimise disturbance to the marine flora and fauna. The mounting block also has signage attached informing divers of the live filming.