IMAGE: GETTY
EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURES
5
DIVE THE GREAT BARRIER REEF WITH MASTER REEF GUIDES
The first time a giant trevally fish hits me on the forehead, I freeze. We’re 39ft below the surface of the ocean at dusk, the inky black water lit only by our torches. Thick with plankton, the beams cut through the white-speckled dark like headlights in a snowstorm. Enormous fish in their hundreds — silver, coral pink and coal black — all dart past my face, close enough to feel the chill of their scales on my skin. I swing my torch into the abyss. Red, white and amber eyes
blink back. Whitetip reef sharks — some the length of my arm, others larger than me — patrol the 98ft coral wall, their bellies swollen from a fresh kill. Moray eels crane their heads from deep cracks in brain and staghorn coral, teeth glinting in the light like knife blades. The only sounds are my short breaths and pounding heart as I kick my way through the feeding frenzy, praying my bubbles are enough to keep larger predators away. It’s 7pm and I’m night diving off the coast of Queensland,
miles from the mainland. We’ve been sailing for two days on Spirit of Freedom, a liveaboard boat bound for the white sands of Lizard Island at the far northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, home to a world-renowned coral reef research station and a luxurious resort. I’ve wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef since I was a child,
largely thanks to the 2003 film Finding Nemo. But when I finally got the chance to visit earlier this year, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Wasn’t the reef dying? Would there be anything left to see? More importantly, would our presence here only add to the pressure on an already fragile ecosystem? I joined a three-night expedition to find out. The morning after our night dive, we’re travelling deeper
Left: The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living structure, so big it can be seen from space
into the remote Ribbon Reefs — a chain of 10 coral formations stretching along the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, far beyond the reach of day boats from Cairns or Port Douglas. “The Ribbon Reefs have cooler currents and more resistant
coral species,” says Mel Alps, the PADI master instructor leading our dives and one of four Master Reef Guides on board Spirit of
Freedom. “Out here, we’ve seen corals recover from cyclones and bleaching much faster than elsewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.” Mel is one of the Great Barrier Reef’s 146 Master Reef Guides,
an initiative created by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to help visitors better understand and protect the reef. To qualify, guides must have extensive local experience, work for an accredited eco-operator and complete rigorous training in reef ecology and conservation. As well as interpreting what we’re seeing underwater, they contribute to scientific monitoring and lead citizen science projects like Eye on the Reef, where recreational divers can contribute to research data by recording what they see. For our dives off Spirit of Freedom, we’re handed waterproof
slates to record sightings of key or invasive species, along with any visible bleaching or damage to coral. On a reef that’s roughly the size of Japan, this citizen-collected data helps scientists pinpoint which areas are healthiest, where threats like crown- of-thorns starfish are spreading and where conservation efforts should be focused next. “Very few patrol boats come out this far,” says Mel. “That’s why
tourism is so important to the Great Barrier Reef. It’s what allows us to be out in remote areas collecting data and reporting any illegal fishing boats.” In recent years, Mel explains, there’s been a significant drop in
visitor numbers to the Great Barrier Reef, threatening tourism- supported conservation efforts. “People think there’s nothing to see anymore, so they’re not coming,” says Mel. “That’s actually bad for the reef. Less tourism means fewer patrols, fewer surveys and less funding.” The next day, we anchor at Lizard Island, 150 miles north
of Cairns, where we’d started our journey four days ago. This densely forested and wildlife-rich island was once a sacred Aboriginal ceremonial site. Today, you’ll find the award-winning Lizard Island Resort, as well as Lizard Island Research Station, where scientists and naturalists from the around the world have
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER – LUXURY COLLECTION 15
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