Tide Trackers

Neil Blake has had ongoing involvement in local coastal management since 1985. He is currently the Director of Port Phllip EcoCentre (a community-managed not-for-profit environment organisation); and Port Phillip Baykeeper (affiliated with Waterkeepers Alliance).

Baykeeper aims to keep the Bay in good nick for today and future generations. This involves practical action, advocacy, and education. 

What's a Baykeeper? A Baykeeper is a Waterkeeper.

Waterkeeperes are non-government advoactes for an identified river, lake, bay or sound. They're recognised by their community, local government, and media as the voice for that particular body of water. They advocate compliance with environmental laws, respond to citizen complaints, identify problems which affect their identified laws, respond to citizen complaints, identify problems which affect their identified bodies of water and devise appropriate remedies to address these problems.

I urge people of all ages to contribute to the Witness King Project and repeat the process next year. Every picture tells a story and will surely kick-start local action on climate change.

Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis is the City of Marion's first-ever female Mayor and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).

She is a Senior Lecturer in Health Education at Flinders University focussing on health promotion and health education and has recently been awarded the degree Doctor of Education.

Mayor Lewis currently serves as a People of Australia Ambassador and is also the Disability Champion for Local Government in Australia. She has a strong interest in environmental issues, and has a passion and commitment for reconciliation.

Most recently Mayor Lewis has been announced as the 2014 SA Australian of the Year.

We have 7 kilometres of rugged cliffs and beaches in the City of Marion, and I always encourage our community to get out there and enjoy their beautiful coastline. As a council, we are committed to the future of our coasts and I’m excited to be part of the Witness King Tides project. I can’t wait to see what photos the Marion community and visitors share with us.

Paul Koch works for Greening Australia as a conservation planner and GIS analyst focussed on the delivery of large-scale, collaborative conservation programs across southern Australia.

I have been shocked at the rapid loss of sand dunes on Adelaide’s northern beaches over the past few years so jumped at the chance to help raise awareness of sea level rise.

I am pleased to be involved with the Witness King Tides project as I have grown up on the Sunshine Coast and have seen first hand the rising sea levels. I hope this project can help monitor our beautiful coastline so that future generations can enjoy.

Ruben is a scientist and television presenter who grew up in Bundaberg, surfing with thousands of sea turtles that return to lay their eggs on Mon Repos every summer.

Sea levels are rising but compared to our short time here on Earth, it’s happening slowly so documenting the king tides on your slice of coast will be an invaluable contribution to future scientists.

Tim Baker is the best-selling author of Occy, High Surf, Bustin' Down The Door, Thrust - the Simon Anderson Story and Surfari. He is a former editor of Tracks and Surfing Life magazines.

Surfers have more to lose than most from rising sea levels. The joy of surfing comes with a responsibility to monitor and care for our coastal environment.

A keen surfer, Liz was a competitive surfer sponsored by Billabong for many years and was one of the first ever female surf judges to travel at an international level on the ASP and World Circuit Tour to destinations such as Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, Europe and the Gold Coast 2000-2002.

Grab your camera and check out the tide this summer.

Rebecca is a photographer, born and raised in Cairns, Far North Queensland.

Each year around January the time of the Witness King Tides project Far North Queensland faces the threat of cyclones, each year I observe more beach erosion. This year I look forward to getting together with a crew of photographers and like minded people to capture the king tide on 22 January 2012, JOIN US as we capture and create a photographic database of our Queensland coast.

Brad Farmer is the Founder of Ocean Care Day, Surfrider Foundation and National & World Surfing Reserves.  He is also co-author of Surfing Guide to Australia and 101 Best Australian Beaches.

Australia is really just one BIG beach. WKT is truly an exciting opportunity and for you, the family and friends to get out there and be part of the solution and the science. It’s fun and educational, and a chance to witness and record this natural phenomena on the most remarkable coastline in the world.

Louise Gilfedder OAM is an ecologist with the Tasmanian State Service where she is a collaborator on the Sea-level rise impacts to coastal natural values project (Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment, UTas and Birdlife Tasmania).

Sea level rise is a major threat to coastal ecosystems and Tasmania's coasts are some of the most vulnerable. As sea levels continue to rise, species that depend on low-lying coastal habitats are particularly at risk. Witness King Tides is a great way for us to track potential impacts on coastal flora, shorebirds and native vegetation from projected sea level rise.

Passionate Australian Reggae Band, King Tide are keen to get you out to see the tide. The ARIA award nominees from NSW have just launched their new album. Find out more about their music  here .

Our coasts, our future. Understanding what sea level rise may mean for coastal communities is everyone's business. If you want to take control of your destiny - have a look at the tide this year.

Townsvillian's have spent the past two decades waking each morning to Steve "Pricey" Price. He is a local icon. Breakfast with Pricey is an extremely local affair. As well as all the news that's happening in town, there's sport news and weather.

Townsville is a great place to live, especially because of our beautiful coasts. Our coasts will change in the future and Witness King Tides offers us an opportunity to visualise what those changes will look like. Grab your camera and get snapping!

Professor Andrew Short OAM is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority on beaches. Author of 12 books and hundreds of

Witness King Tide will help raise everyone's awareness of just how mobile sea level is on a daily basis, and what the future will look like as sea level keeps rising. The more people are aware the more something might be done about climate change at all levels of society.

Dick Whitaker is often referred to as Australia's premiere weather man! With a career in weather spanning over 40 years, Dick is Australia's friendly expert in the topic of weather. Dick has been a meteorologist since 1971, spending 30 years with the Bureau of Metoerology, consulting and now in his current role as The Weather Channel's Chief Meteorologist. In his spare time Dick has also co-authored and edited 12 meteorological publications and guest speaks at various events on his favourite topic…weather.

An estimated four out of five Australians live within 50km of the coast, making it one of the most important areas for the population. Tides and water levels are a very big issue, particularly when superimposed in any storms that may be battering the coast at the time. Get out during the king tide and visualise what our coasts might look like in the future.