the great barrier reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef eco systems and is the only living organic collective visible from outer space. The Great Barrier Reef is located of the East coast of Australia and is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and in 1981 was declared a world heritage listed area.

The Great Barrier Reef eco system is approximately 2300km long stretching from Bundaberg in southern Queensland all the way through to the tip of Cape York at the far northern end of Australia. The reef eco system is littered with islands and coral sand cays and more than 3000 individual reefs that cover nearly 350 000 square kilometres.

How are Corals Formed?

Corals are the building blocks that make up the reefs and sand cays that are found throughout the Great Barrier Reef. Reefs and cays are large masses of limestone made from skeletons of thousands of marine animals.

Coral is made up of individual coral polyps, these tiny living creatures about the size of a match head join together by splitting from one to two then from two to four and so on. This process is known as coral budding. These coral polyps are the main marine animals that contribute to the reefs formation. Coral polyps are able to absorb calcium carbonate and then convert it to limestone and with the assistance of plants living inside them, they are able to lay the limestone down below their bodies as a compressed hard form of limestone. These polyps once joined together in colonies create the wonderful array of coloured coral formations.

Varieties of Coral species

These coral formations come in various types such as fan, antler or branching, brain, vase, mushroom and plate type corals. The Ideal environment for coral to grow in is shallow warm water where there is water movement, lots of sun light and where the water is salty. The various types of coral formations also grow at different rates with many taking hundreds of years to form.

However these spectacular coral formations do have natural predators. The Crown of Thorns Starfish is one of those natural predators. Over a 15 year period, Crown of Thorns Starfish outbreaks can go through various stages. Sunlover Reef Cruises has implemented a monitoring and eradication programme to limit the impact that these natural predators have on this beautiful environment.