Politics & the Reef Don’t Mix

On March 18, 2022, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) confirmed on that there had been severe and widespread bleaching to 60 per cent of the corals along a 500-kilometre stretch of Great Barrier Reef. This was the fourth mass bleaching event to occur in the past 6 years and the first mass […]

Coral Bleaching in 2022 … Maybe

The recent heatwave should remind us all that if it is hot on land, it is quite likely to be hot underwater. In fact, the current heatwave is causing some concern amongst marine scientists that the Great Barrier Reef may be facing a serious marine heatwave this summer. Based on forecasts from the Bureau of […]

Australia Needs to Step Up at COP 26 to Save the Reef

I recently spent five fascinating and inspiring days on the Great Barrier Reef working with a dedicated and passionate group of Marine Park staff and volunteers. Our project involved relocating healthy coral to a site that had suffered severe cyclone damage. The objective was to support and, hopefully, speed up the natural recovery process of […]

Coral & Coal do Not Mix

Election Promises Will Destroy the Reef! You know that an election is drawing near when politicians start making promises that they can’t keep or, at best, shouldn’t keep. Case in point – the proposal for a new coal-fired power station for Collinsville. A few politicians, including our current Whitsunday mayor, Andrew Wilcox, are touting this […]

Reef Listed in Danger

The recent UNESCO draft decision to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” seems to have caused much shock and consternation amongst our politicians. Why? As a dive instructor working in the Whitsundays, I am very passionate about the Reef. I have been following the “Reef In Danger” story for nearly 10 years now […]

The Sea Turtle’s Struggle

Sea turtles have successfully cruised the world’s oceans for 65 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs. That’s why it’s hard to believe these animals could become endangered after all that time. As I prepare for another day of diving on the Great Barrier Reef – a job I have cherished for the past […]

Anyone for Drupella

Drupella snail anyone? No I am not talking about a culinary delight but a persistent little pink critter, a tiny pink snail lurking on our reef, about 5cms long, which eats live coral tissue. The white telltale scars it leaves behind then become covered in algae spelling the death of the coral. And they are […]