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Sea urchins in Tioman

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Many people consider sea urchins a pest. However, this is too narrow-minded a view. In fact, sea urchins have an important role to play in the ecosystem. One of sea urchins' main duties includes ingesting decaying dead animal and plant matter, as well as algae. This is why sea urchins are called the gardeners of the reef.

Without sea urchins cleaning-up our coral gardens, the amount of dead matter would soon cause algae and bacteria to explode to deleterious levels. This would, in turn, negatively affect the general health of the system.

Watch out for the spines of these sea urchins
Watch out for the spines of these sea urchins

In other words, the presence of sea urchins ensures a healthy balance within the delicate interconnected web of organisms that makes up the coral reef community. This is especially important around Tioman, because, traditionally, the nutrient level in the sea water here is particularly high.

In addition, sea urchins also provide shelter from predators to smaller vertebrates and invertebrates during the juvenile phase of their life, allowing these creatures to mature to reproductive age - another way sea urchins maintain a healthy balance within coral reef systems.

Please help protect our coral gardens - do not buy these dried sea urchins as souvenirs
Please help protect our coral gardens - do not
buy these dried sea urchins as souvenirs


That being said, the problem occurs when nutrient levels in the sea get out of hand. This sets off so-called algal blooms, i.e. algae populations reaching scourge proportions. Usually, when this happens, it doesn't take long for the sea urchin population to catch up with their food source profusion. A sea urchin plague is the result. This is why in some years, 2010 being the last year this happened, you may see the sea floor in some areas around Tioman being covered by numerous sea urchins.

Not all sea urchins are necessarily dangerous
Not all sea urchins are necessarily dangerous

Fortunately, this is a self-correcting situation, because the sea urchins' abundant food source is soon mopped up by the profusion of sea urchins, which then leads to the sea urchin population collapsing back to normal levels shortly after.

Sea urchin a.k.a. sea hedgehog
Sea urchin a.k.a. sea hedgehog

In conclusion, the health of a coral reef system is all about balance. This is why it's of utmost importance that we do not wantonly eliminate sea urchins from the ecosystem, whether for food or to serve the misconception amongst some of the diving community that sea urchins feed on coral.

See our recommendations for sea urchin first aid
Sea urchins form an integral part of
the coral gardens around Tioman


Sea urchins have enough natural predators, such as sea otters, snails, crabs and fish to generally keep their numbers in check. Should the sea urchin population reach excessive proportions, just remember that this situation will be relatively short-lived; their numbers will soon return to normal.

In the meantime, tread carefully.

Sea urchins come in all sorts, sizes and colours and are, in fact, quite a draw for scuba divers. If you'd like to see sea urchins up close in their natural habitat, then use below form for more information about doing a scuba diving course.

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