Marine ecologist Janine Baker and marine biologist Dr Scoresby Shepherd are involved in the marine survey, which will record undersea life in several unique bays within the region that include Venus, Anxious, Baird, Searcy, Sceale, Corvisart and Streaky.

Divers from the People and Parks Foundation's Reef Life Survey (RLS) program are also participating, along with other research divers from South Australia.

Planning for the project has commenced, with dive dates set for the end of this month to catch the smaller swell conditions and hot weather that provides greater safety and visibility.

The project grant was awarded to the Friends of Sceale Bay, whose national convener Grant Hobson said that in addition to the scientific surveying, he hoped that recording the survey in photographs and on film would also bring the need to understand the ocean closer to people, to inform decisions about marine parks and protected areas.

“There is an education component to the project as well,” Mr Hobson said.

“Dr Shepherd will instruct the local science teacher from the Streaky Bay Area School in the process of ongoing monitoring, using the timed swim fish count method; this will help to tell us more about the health of the Chain of Bays over a period of time”.

This area is part of the proposed West Coast Bays Marine Park, which includes habitats such as coastal cliff tops, rocky headlands and islands, home to the endangered white-bellied sea eagle and populations of the vulnerable Australian sea lion.

Some of the rock pools are habitats for one of the world’s smallest sea stars, Parvulastra parvivipar.

The tiny sea star, known as “Little Patty” to locals, is only found in a 200-kilometre area between Point Labatt (near Baird Bay) and Cape Vivonne (near Ceduna).

The sea star is not only remarkable for its size, but also because of its extraordinary reproduction.

The reproduction of Parvulastra parvivipara differs dramatically from most marine invertebrates because fertilization is internal and the development of offspring occurs within highly specialised chambers (brood chambers) within the gonad of the adult.

The sea star gives birth to juvenile offspring (miniature versions of the adult) that simply crawl away from their parent using their tube feet.