Round Top Island

Round Top Island has the highest soft coral community of all inshore locations monitored. Total coral cover has remained consistently between 25-40% over time. Despite macroalgae fluctuations recently, hard and soft coral cover has held steady.

Over 13 years of monitoring, coral disease has come and gone in the inshore reefs of Mackay and Hay Point. Severe bleaching has been less common—only recorded during the region-wide 2020 marine heatwave. During the 2024 elevated SST event, bleaching was minor in comparison, highlighting the complexity of these reef systems and the measured response to heat stress.