The Greatest Barrier Reef
- Blue starfish on coral
This long chain of coral reefs stretches for more than 2600 kilometres along the east coast of Queensland in the Coral Sea. The reef contains more than 2900 reef and 900 islands and covers an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres.
The reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. This helps to limit the impact of tourism and overfishing. Climate change is the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Due to the rising of ocean temperatures, corals are bleaching.
The Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people have known and used the Great Barrier Reef for a long time. It is an important part of their culture. The reef is a very popular tourist destination and most people visit the reef from Cairns and Airlie Beach.
Far Northern Barrier Reef
You can find the untouched reefs of the far northern Barrier Reef between the northern tip of Australia, at Cape York, and Lizard Island. This is a very remote area where only a few dive operators have their liveaboards. This is an area where the diving is truly excellent, but because of the weather conditions, can only be visited a few months a year in spring.
- Great Barrier Reef
Coral Sea
In the northern part of the Coral Sea are a few isolated reefs like Holmes Reef, Bougainville Reef and Osprey Reef. These reefs are the perfect place for people who love to see sharks during their dives. At these reefs you will find pristine blue water with incredible visibility. The corals on the reefs are very colourful and consist of big gorgonian fans, hard and soft corals. There are some steep drop offs and pelagic fish to keep you occupied.
Ribbon Reefs
The Ribbon Reefs is a chain of 10 reefs that look a bit like ribbons from the air. The reefs offer a great variety for divers and the most famous dive spot is Cod Hole. This place is named after the dozen or so potato cod that live at the reef. The potato cod that live at this site can weigh from 6 up to 30 kg. Their numbers have declined since the spot became more popular to divers.
Southern Great Barrier Reef
- Lady Elliot Island
The southern part of the Great Barrier Reef is the largest area of the reef.There are fewer great dive sites in this area and they're more difficult to access. Heron Island and Lady Elliot Island are the best places to go for scuba diving.
