Do you remember your first dive on the Great Barrier Reef? 

Yes, we went down and saw a pack of devil rays and lots of turtles. The sheer volume of coral cover, and how vibrant it was… it just hit you. 

What’s your best experience underwater?
I’ve had a surreal one at Ribbon Reef No.2, taking photos in about seven metres of water. I heard a loud noise, like a train coming. It was a big school of giant trevallies. They made a tube around me and there were so many eyes on me. They did a couple of circles and then disappeared into thin air. Last November was another one. As far as the eye could see, the biggest humphead parrot fish were coming towards me. They can be over a metre long and they stand really high in the water. They’re listed as vulnerable but you’ll get big pockets of them sometimes. 

What changes have you seen over the years?
After Cyclone Yasi, there was a lot of damaged coral at some reefs, down to about 25 metres. Gullies were scraped bare, there wasn’t even algae. And after Cyclone Larry, at places outside Myrmidon pinnacle you could see the wave pattern in the coral cover down to 20 metres. It comes back though. A year or two afterwards we saw new coral growth. Regrowth has been quite impressive. 

How is managing crown-of-thorn starfish (COTS) helping the Reef?
Crown-of-thorn starfish eat hard coral. They’re native to the Great Barrier Reef but can reach outbreak levels when they eat corals at a faster rate than it can grow, causing extensive coral mortality. COTS cycles can last 10 to 15 years. They’re a major threat to the Reef – but the threat that’s most responsive to direct management action. Every hard coral colony protected from COTS predation has a better chance to spawn, increasing the overall resilience of the Reef. 

How do you control crown-of-thorn (COTS) starfish?
Trained COTS divers inject COTS with a single shot of bile salts or vinegar. The control program operates the length of the Reef. In the Cairns region, we focus on tourist reefs and high diversity reefs. Crews from tourist boats, control program partners and COTS divers are doing an amazing job. 

Why should we care about corals?
The Great Barrier Reef has one of the highest diversities of coral on the planet. In some areas you’ll see meadows of soft coral, in others mountains of hard coral. If you think about how long they’ve been there… they’re like big old trees in the forest. Larger, older coral supports other coral species and the diversity creates amazing habitat for fish and many other species. Corals can bounce back quite quickly from adversity but with crown of thorns outbreaks, more marine heatwaves, coral bleaching events and more severe cyclones, there is less time for corals to recover. 

What keeps you coming back for more?
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful habitats on Earth. It’s mind-blowing. Every time you go out you find something to enjoy. The diversity is my passion. I’m always amazed by it.