Great Barrier Reef

Country: Australia
Type: reef / pelagic / coral cay / open ocean
Best known for: World’s largest coral reef system, coral bleaching crisis, megafauna encounters, Ribbon Reefs, Coral Sea, dwarf minke whales
UNESCO World Heritage Site: 1981
Wetpixel coverage: Extensive conservation reporting (2004—2018), Full Frame gallery (2018), Canon Collective event (2018), multiple forum trip reports

Overview

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) stretches over 2,300 km along the northeast coast of Australia, making it the largest coral reef system on Earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It encompasses more than 2,000 individual reefs and hundreds of islands, from the tropics near Cairns to the southern cays off Gladstone. The GBR World Heritage Area is home to hundreds of coral species, thousands of fish species, six of seven marine turtle species, and serves as a migration route for many whale species ([1]). GBR tourism contributes approximately AUD $5.1 billion to the Australian economy and employs over 60,000 people ([2]).

For underwater photographers, the reef offers everything from significant megafauna to super macro subjects. Key photographic locations include Steve’s Bommie on Ribbon Reef 3, the Cod Hole on Ribbon Reef 10, the Clam Beds on Ribbon Reef 4, Pixie Pinnacle, the Coral Kingdom on the Ribbon Reefs, and North Horn at Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea ([3], [4]). The Cod Hole is particularly well known for its large group of resident giant potato cod (Epinephelus tukula) that are exceptionally inquisitive and closely approach divers ([5]). Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea offers shark feeds at North Horn with grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks, though the overnight crossing from the Ribbon Reefs can be extremely rough ([6]).

Access and Liveaboard Operations

Liveaboard trips are the primary way for photographers to access the reef’s more remote northern areas. The main departure point is Cairns, Queensland, where operators including Scubapix/Nauticam Australia maintain a presence ([7], [8]).

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions operates the vessel Spoilsport out of Cairns, running photographer-friendly itineraries north along the Ribbon Reefs and east to the Coral Sea. Mike Ball is himself a photographer and ensures trips cater to underwater imaging needs. The typical itinerary follows a journey northward via the Ribbon Reefs before heading east to Osprey Reef in the Coral Sea, then retracing the route southward ([9]). Forum members consistently recommended Mike Ball trips, though availability was often limited ([10]).

Other liveaboard operations discussed in the Wetpixel community included the MV Taka, Spirit of Freedom, Undersea Explorer, and Nimrod Explorer (Explorer Ventures). Forum member pmooney (Peter Mooney of Scubapix) noted that the boats carried similar passenger numbers (within 3 of each other) and visited the same major dive sites, but differed in build quality, maneuverability (bow and stern thrusters), crew size, and ability to handle the open-ocean Coral Sea crossing ([11]).

Heron Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef is accessible by boat from Gladstone (2-hour crossing) and offers resort-based diving with vibrant coral bommies, manta rays at cleaning stations, and 12—15 m visibility ([12]). The island has historical significance: it was the site of the Heron Island Dive Festival where Ron Taylor met Valerie Taylor in 1960, beginning their legendary filmmaking partnership ([13]).

Wetpixel Coverage

Photographic Features

Adam Hanlon visited the GBR in May 2018, invited by Scubapix/Nauticam Australia’s Peter Mooney. He first covered a Canon Collective event at Heron Island where 30 Australian photographers gathered to try Canon and Nauticam gear, including Canon 5D Mark IV and 7D Mark II housings with Inon, Sea & Sea, and Retra strobes ([14]). He then undertook a 7-day liveaboard trip aboard Spoilsport. His Full Frame gallery of 20 images spanned pink anemonefish at Steve’s Bommie, grey reef sharks at North Horn, green turtles feeding on jellyfish, potato cod at Cod Hole, coral polyps feeding at night at the Clam Beds, broadclub cuttlefish at Summer Bay, bluestripe snapper schools, whitetip reef sharks, and healthy hard and soft corals at the Coral Kingdom. He noted that while bleaching had occurred, “there is plenty of healthy corals, and significant regrowth has already occurred in the faster growing species” ([15]). The gallery was highlighted in the Full Frame Retrospective 2018 as one of the year’s standout features ([16]).

Giancarlo Brosolo, a French diver and UW photographer based in Singapore, published a Full Frame gallery of Australian diving in 2015 that included GBR images of giant potato grouper at the Cod Hole on Ribbon Reef 10. He described the reef as part of a broader Australian diving experience spanning from the tropics to temperate latitudes ([17]).

Community Trip Reports

The GBR was a frequent topic in Wetpixel’s Trip Reports and Travel forum. Forum member “acroporas” shared macro imagery from a Mike Ball Super Sport trip in 2005, shooting lionfish, pygmy gobies, bubble coral shrimp, and triplefins across 13 dives over 3 days ([18]). Forum member “wade” documented dwarf minke whale encounters on the Ribbon Reefs in June 2005, reporting sightings on 3 of 5 dive days with as many as 12 whales in a single day between Ribbons 5 and 6, shot with an Olympus 5050z in an Ikelite housing ([19]).

Scientific Documentation

In 2012, Google Maps launched underwater Street View with panoramic virtual scuba trips through Heron, Lady Elliot, and Wilson Islands on the GBR (along with sites in Hawaii and the Philippines). The underwater filming was carried out by the Catlin Seaview Survey using a submersible fitted with three wide-angle lenses that captured 24-megapixel photographs every four seconds for 360-degree views. Hanlon commented that “Heron Island looks a bit battered” in the resulting imagery ([20]). The Catlin Seaview Survey subsequently employed its underwater panoramic camera system to document reef health worldwide, having taken over 100,000 360-degree panoramic images of the GBR starting in 2012 before expanding to Belize, Mexico, and Aruba in collaboration with NOAA, Scripps, and the Global Change Institute ([21]).

In 2015, WWF and partners strapped a GoPro to a sea turtle to produce a “turtle eye view” of the reef as part of research into pollution levels affecting sea turtles within the GBR, working with James Cook University, the University of Queensland, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority ([22]).

Key Photographers

Conservation

The Great Barrier Reef’s conservation crisis was one of the most extensively covered environmental stories in Wetpixel’s history. The archive documents the reef’s progressive decline through multiple reporting cycles.

Bleaching and Decline (2004—2017)

Early warnings (2004): The first Wetpixel report noted that maximum water temperatures exceeding 30 degrees C had caused bleaching on many reefs along the GBR, with coral death occurring for the fourth time in six years. Cyclones broke up fragile corals with hits reducing coral cover by up to 50%, while March rainfalls of nearly 80 inches generated massive freshwater runoff that stressed inshore reefs. Scientists noted that healthy reefs could recover half their lost coral in two to three years under good conditions but warned that increasing frequency of severe weather episodes posed an unknown threat. A commenter noted that agricultural runoff had also been implicated ([25]).

Cyclone Yasi (2011): Category 5 Cyclone Yasi battered the North Queensland coast in February 2011 with winds reaching 290 km/h, striking south of Cairns. Many Wetpixel members were in the storm’s path ([26]).

50% decline confirmed (2012): A study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that mean coral cover declined from 28.0% to 13.8% between 1985 and 2012 — a total reduction of 50.7%. Two-thirds of the decrease occurred after 1998. The annual decline rate was 0.53% per year, but the nonlinear acceleration was alarming. Causes were identified as storms, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, and coral bleaching ([27]).

Worst bleaching in 15 years (2016): The area around Lizard Island experienced the worst bleaching episode in over 15 years according to WWF Australia. Images from the XL Catlin Seaview Survey and video from a CoralWatch Team at the University of Queensland prompted the Park Authority to raise its response level to the highest available ([28]). In November 2016, a study by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies reported that 67% of corals in a 700 km stretch of the northern GBR had succumbed to bleaching, though central and southern regions were less affected (6% and 1% respectively). The northern region was one of the most pristine parts of the reef. Recovery was estimated at 10—15 years assuming no further bleaching events ([29]).

Two-thirds bleached (2017): Scientists from the ARC Centre recorded that the GBR was undergoing further bleaching, primarily in the previously unaffected middle third. The northern end had already bleached in 2016, leaving only the southern third unaffected. Professor Peter Hughes noted: “The bleaching is caused by record-breaking temperatures driven by global warming. This year, 2017, we are seeing mass bleaching, even without the assistance of El Nino conditions.” Aerial surveys covered 8,000 km and 800 individual reefs ([30]).

Government and Policy Response

Shark fishery controversy (2008): Eric Cheng reported that the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries was creating a dedicated shark fishery. Wetpixel argued that the plan would deplete shark populations and produce negative impacts to the GBR ecosystem, calling on readers to sign petitions with Shark Savers and the Australian Marine Conservation Society ([31]).

Marine reserves proposed (2012): Australia proposed creating the world’s largest network of marine parks ahead of the Rio+20 Earth summit, with 33 new reserves covering 3.1 million sq km of ocean including the Coral Sea, increasing marine reserves from 27 to 60. Hanlon commented: “I hope Australia is successful… It will be a huge political battle” ([32]).

Conservation zones removed (2018): In what opponents called the largest unwinding of conservation zones in world history by area, Australia’s government removed protections from sensitive marine environments. From July 2018, 80% of marine park waters (up from 63%) would be open to commercial fishing. The Coral Sea saw a 26% reduction in protected area. A forum member’s comment on the government funding article summed up community sentiment: “They should stop mining and selling coal” ([33]).

Reef funding (2018): The Australian Government announced AUD $500 million in funding for reef protection, primarily to improve agricultural practices and reduce polluted runoff from farmland ([34]).

Citizen Science and Monitoring

Reef Check Australia ran annual photography competitions starting in 2007, designed to showcase public awareness of coral reef values and threats. Categories included “Icons of the Reef” and “Animal Behaviour,” with prizes including Osprey Reef dive trips. The competitions documented the public relationship to the reef while raising awareness of threats from unsustainable fishing, declining water quality, and climate change ([35], [36]).

Cairns Underwater Film Festival (CUFF) ran annual film and photo competitions from at least 2007, with imagery required to be taken in the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef. The volunteer-run, not-for-profit festival donated proceeds to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and minke whale research, offering prize pools exceeding AUD $45,000 ([37]).

Blue Hole Discovery

A previously unexplored blue hole off Daydream Island in one of the least explored parts of the GBR was explored for the first time in 2017, led by scientist Johnny Gaskell. Located over 200 km from Daydream Island, the expedition required a 10-hour overnight journey and precise tidal timing. Though the team could only reach 65 feet deep, they suggested the blue hole may be older than the famous Belize Blue Hole ([38]).

The GBR’s conservation story unfolded against a backdrop of global coral bleaching events covered by Wetpixel. In 2010, scientists identified a worldwide bleaching event in the “coral triangle” (Seychelles to Sulawesi/Philippines) as the worst since 1998, with sea temperatures rising 4 degrees above average and coral cover potentially dropping from 50% to 10% ([39]). A 2016 study published in Nature found that 12 of 21 Seychelles reefs devastated in 1998 had recovered to pre-bleaching levels by 2011, with recovery depending on reef structural complexity, water depth, and juvenile coral abundance ([40]). However, back-to-back mass bleaching events like those hitting the GBR in 2016—2017 threatened to overwhelm even healthy reefs’ recovery capacity.

Timeline

References

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Aug 10, 2007: Reef Check Australia Photography Competition 2007 ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, Aug 10, 2007: Reef Check Australia Photography Competition 2007 ↩
  3. Wetpixel article, Jul 18, 2018: Adam Hanlon Great Barrier Reef ↩
  4. forum (forum) ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, Sep 10, 2015: Giancarlo Brosolo Australia ↩
  6. forum (forum) ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, May 20, 2008: Scubapix Job Opening In Cairns Australia ↩
  8. forum (forum) ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Jul 18, 2018: Adam Hanlon Great Barrier Reef ↩
  10. forum (forum) ↩
  11. forum (forum) ↩
  12. Wetpixel article, May 5, 2018: Live Updates Canon Collective Scubapix Imaging Event At Heron Island ↩
  13. Wetpixel article, Sep 9, 2012: A Tribute To Ron Taylor 1934 20120 ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, May 5, 2018: Live Updates Canon Collective Scubapix Imaging Event At Heron Island ↩
  15. Wetpixel article, Jul 18, 2018: Adam Hanlon Great Barrier Reef ↩
  16. Wetpixel article, Jan 1, 2019: Full Frame Retrospective 2018 ↩
  17. Wetpixel article, Sep 10, 2015: Giancarlo Brosolo Australia ↩
  18. forum (forum) ↩
  19. forum (forum) ↩
  20. Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2012: Google Takes Street View Underwater ↩
  21. Wetpixel article, Oct 8, 2013: Underwater Panoramic Camera Used To Document Reefs ↩
  22. Wetpixel article, Jul 10, 2015: Video A Turtle Eye View Of The Great Barrier Reef ↩
  23. Wetpixel article, Jun 14, 2010: Valerie Taylor Honored ↩
  24. Wetpixel article, Jan 26, 2016: Interview Filmmaker And Marine Biologist Richard Fitzpatrick ↩
  25. Wetpixel article, Apr 26, 2004: Summer Weather Impacts Australias Great Barrier Reef ↩
  26. Wetpixel article, Feb 2, 2011: Cyclone Yasi Batters North Queensland Coast ↩
  27. Wetpixel article, Oct 1, 2012: New Study Underlines Decline Of Great Barrier Reef ↩
  28. Wetpixel article, Mar 23, 2016: Severe Bleaching Episode On The Barrier Reef ↩
  29. Wetpixel article, Nov 29, 2016: Study Catalogs Great Barrier Reef Bleaching ↩
  30. Wetpixel article, Apr 10, 2017: Scientists Report That Two Thirds Of Gbr Is Bleached ↩
  31. Wetpixel article, May 27, 2008: Queensland Australia Considers Creating A Dedicated Shark Fishery ↩
  32. Wetpixel article, Jun 14, 2012: Australia Proposes 33 New Marine Reserves ↩
  33. Wetpixel article, Mar 27, 2018: Australian Lawmakers Enact Largest Removal Of Conservation Zones In The Wor ↩
  34. Wetpixel article, Apr 29, 2018: Australian Government Announces Funding For Great Barrier Reef ↩
  35. Wetpixel article, Aug 10, 2007: Reef Check Australia Photography Competition 2007 ↩
  36. Wetpixel article, May 1, 2008: Reef Check Australia Opens Photography Competition 2008 For Entries ↩
  37. Wetpixel article, May 3, 2012: Call For Entries Cairns Underwater Film And Photo Festival ↩
  38. Wetpixel article, Nov 13, 2017: Scientists Explore Blue Hole In Great Barrier Reef ↩
  39. Wetpixel article, Oct 22, 2010: Coral Bleaching Worst Since 1998 ↩
  40. Wetpixel article, Feb 28, 2016: Study Shows Reefs May Survive Climate Change ↩
  41. Wetpixel article, Apr 26, 2004: Summer Weather Impacts Australias Great Barrier Reef ↩
  42. forum (forum) ↩
  43. forum (forum) ↩
  44. Wetpixel article, Aug 10, 2007: Reef Check Australia Photography Competition 2007 ↩
  45. Wetpixel article, May 27, 2008: Queensland Australia Considers Creating A Dedicated Shark Fishery ↩
  46. Wetpixel article, Feb 2, 2011: Cyclone Yasi Batters North Queensland Coast ↩
  47. Wetpixel article, Jun 14, 2012: Australia Proposes 33 New Marine Reserves ↩
  48. Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2012: Google Takes Street View Underwater ↩
  49. Wetpixel article, Oct 1, 2012: New Study Underlines Decline Of Great Barrier Reef ↩
  50. Wetpixel article, Oct 8, 2013: Underwater Panoramic Camera Used To Document Reefs ↩
  51. Wetpixel article, Jul 10, 2015: Video A Turtle Eye View Of The Great Barrier Reef ↩
  52. Wetpixel article, Sep 10, 2015: Giancarlo Brosolo Australia ↩
  53. Wetpixel article, Jan 26, 2016: Interview Filmmaker And Marine Biologist Richard Fitzpatrick ↩
  54. Wetpixel article, Mar 8, 2016: Environmental Photographer Dies While Snorkeling Great Barrier Reef ↩
  55. Wetpixel article, Mar 23, 2016: Severe Bleaching Episode On The Barrier Reef ↩
  56. Wetpixel article, Nov 29, 2016: Study Catalogs Great Barrier Reef Bleaching ↩
  57. Wetpixel article, Apr 10, 2017: Scientists Report That Two Thirds Of Gbr Is Bleached ↩
  58. Wetpixel article, Nov 13, 2017: Scientists Explore Blue Hole In Great Barrier Reef ↩
  59. Wetpixel article, Mar 27, 2018: Australian Lawmakers Enact Largest Removal Of Conservation Zones In The Wor ↩
  60. Wetpixel article, Apr 29, 2018: Australian Government Announces Funding For Great Barrier Reef ↩
  61. Wetpixel article, May 5, 2018: Live Updates Canon Collective Scubapix Imaging Event At Heron Island ↩
  62. Wetpixel article, Jul 18, 2018: Adam Hanlon Great Barrier Reef ↩
  63. Adam Hanlon: Great Barrier Reef (Full Frame) (article) ↩
  64. Live Updates: Canon Collective/Scubapix imaging event at Heron Island (article) ↩
  65. Summer weather impacts Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  66. Cyclone Yasi batters North Queensland coast (article) ↩
  67. New study underlines decline of Great Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  68. Google takes Street View underwater (article) ↩
  69. Underwater panoramic camera used to document reefs (article) ↩
  70. Video: A turtle eye view of the Great Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  71. Giancarlo Brosolo: Australia (Full Frame) (article) ↩
  72. Interview: Filmmaker and marine biologist Richard Fitzpatrick (article) ↩
  73. Severe bleaching episode on the Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  74. Study catalogs Great Barrier Reef bleaching (article) ↩
  75. Scientists report that two thirds of GBR is bleached (article) ↩
  76. Scientists explore blue hole in Great Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  77. Australian Government announces funding for Great Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  78. Australian lawmakers enact largest removal of conservation zones in the world (article) ↩
  79. Australia proposes 33 new marine reserves (article) ↩
  80. Environmental photographer dies while snorkeling Great Barrier Reef (article) ↩
  81. Queensland, Australia considers creating a dedicated shark fishery (article) ↩
  82. Reef Check Australia Photography Competition 2007 (article) ↩
  83. Reef Check Australia Photography Competition 2008 (article) ↩
  84. Call for entries: Cairns Underwater Film and Photo Festival (article) ↩
  85. Valerie Taylor honored (article) ↩
  86. A tribute to Ron Taylor (1934—2012) (article) ↩
  87. Coral bleaching: Worst since 1998 (article) ↩
  88. Study Shows Reefs May Survive Climate Change (article) ↩
  89. Full Frame Retrospective 2018 (article) ↩
  90. Forum: Barrier Reef / Coral Sea (forum) ↩
  91. Forum: Australia - GBR June 2005 (forum) ↩
  92. Forum: GBR live-aboard trip (forum) ↩
  93. Forum: Diving in Cairns (forum) ↩