Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

Between 500,000 and 2 million years ago, billions of tiny coral polyps set about building a super-structure, and did such an exceptional job that their efforts can be seen from outer space. Best of all, they created one of the world's most spectacular diving reefs. So, when diving in the Great Barrier Reef, be extra nice to the little polyps who worked hard for your enjoyment.

Aside from the Chinese, there aren't many other diligent earth dwellers who can claim this kind of achievement; besides the Great Wall of China isn't self-sustaining or half as colourful as the Great Barrier Reef - so it doesn't count.

How to make a reef from scratch

When the polyps began construction of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia's land mass was gently floating away from the South Pole, allowing for snugger working conditions. As with any great feat, there were disruptions and challenges - it wasn't going to be a smooth ride toward impressing NASA in the future and making the experience of diving in the Great Barrier Reef something to write home about. Sea levels rose and fell and global cooling froze the first parts of the reef's cycle. The second construction phase only resumed about 8,000 years ago, once glaciation eased off and sea levels dropped from flooding the landmasses.

The reef is made of the coral skeletons of all the polyps who worked there before, and their fathers' fathers and so on, by fixing their little bodies onto the limestone base. The calcium carbonate chemical compounds of Giant clams and other molluscs also contributed over the years. Affiliated to the jellyfish (phylum) and sea anemones (Cnidarians) species, at least 350 coral families pulled together to create the reef. Among them; branching corals, staghorn corals, massive (boulder) corals, brain, plate and mushroom corals. Regardless of their vulnerability to air or rain, some corals have reached up to 700 years old.

Dive responsibly

Today, over two thousand km along Queensland's NE coast is made up of just fewer than 3000 individual reefs. Owing to the fact that coral requires sunlight to survive, the dives aren't too deep and range between 10 - 25 m/ 30-80 feet. Water conditions are great all year round, ranging from 25 to 29 °C degrees Celsius with very good visibility.

Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef will open up a new world rich with magical marine animals that promise intrigue and delight on your dives. Many marine creatures have flocked to the reef to enjoy its enriching environment over the years, including 30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Among them are the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Dwarf Minke Whale and Humpback Whale. The Great Barrier Reef is also a protected territory of the rare dugong (sea cow). An additional 125 species of shark and over 1500 species of fish can be found in the area. Sea creatures such as stingrays, skates, Clownfish, Red-Throat Emperors, Red Bass, Coral Trout and Snappers also abound.

To top this, the Green Sea Turtle, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Olive Ridley and Flatback Turtle can be seen dining off 15 delicious species of seagrass on the reef.

The irukandji jellyfish lingers along the reef as do five thousand species of mollusk, giant clams, nudibranchs and cone snails.

The local Aboriginal Australians, who have been inhabitants of the area for more than 40,000 years, remain deeply respectful of the Earth Organism that sustains them. It appears that, unfortunately, not everyone displays this type of wisdom of late, as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change informs that the entire Reef could be "functionally extinct" by 2030. This proves that the ecosystem is rich but vulnerable and requires the correct amount of attention to ensure that its intricate balance is not disrupted.

In the meanwhile, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park assumes the role of keeping this World Heritage site under control for the sake of the ecosystem, and so that many future generations can experience the inherent wonders that diving in the Great Barrier Reef naturally entails. Environmental preservation is needed in order to avoid mass coral bleaching, cyclic outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish (the great polyp Nemesis), over fishing of keystone species such as the Giant Triton and pollution in the wake of various forms of human abuse. As deep sea diving isn't everyone's cup of tea, the sights that accompany diving in the Great Barrier Reef can also be enjoyed by snorkelers and even leisure yacht cruisers.

Frances wrote this article for Dive Time Great Barrier Diving "Divetime.com is the premier Scuba diving destination on the internet, with a unique offering of Scuba related information and services to divers everywhere".

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