I have been scuba diving off the Florida Keys and loved it, but it has been an ambition to go scuba diving on The Great Barrier Reef for as long as I can remember.
About the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's most extensive coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,400 miles, over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's most extensive single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms known as coral polyps. It supports diverse life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of the reef, which helps limit human use and impact by fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown of thorns starfish. According to a study published in October 2012 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the reef has lost over half its coral cover since 1985.
The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is an integral part of local groups' cultures and spirituality.
Video of diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
This video of diving on the Great Barrier Reef was made by Traveling Faze.