Aerial view of extensive coral formations and turquoise channels across the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

    Coral formations stretch towards the horizon across the Great Barrier Reef, separated by brilliant turquoise lagoons and deeper ocean channels.

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    Great Barrier Reef

    The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, extending for more than 2,000 kilometres along Queensland's tropical coast. Thousands of individual reefs, coral cays and islands create extraordinary patterns of turquoise lagoons, deep blue channels and living coral, making the reef as compelling photographically from the air as beneath the water.

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    Gallery

    Aerial view of extensive coral formations and turquoise channels across the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

    Coral formations stretch towards the horizon across the Great Barrier Reef, sepa…

    Aerial view of coral formations and blue lagoons across the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

    Coral formations enclose brilliant blue lagoons across the Great Barrier Reef, r…

    Aerial view of a deep blue channel between extensive coral formations on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

    A deep ocean channel cuts between vast coral formations on the Great Barrier Ree…

    Green sea turtle swimming above coral reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

    A green sea turtle swims through the clear waters of the southern Great Barrier …

    Colourful tropical fish swimming above hard corals at Bougainville Reef in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

    Schools of tropical fish move above hard corals at Bougainville Reef, revealing …

    Scuba diver swimming above colourful coral and tropical fish on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

    A scuba diver explores a coral reef on the Great Barrier Reef, surrounded by col…

    Colourful coral reef with small tropical fish swimming through sunlit blue water on the Great Barrier Reef.

    Sunlight filters through clear tropical water above a living coral reef, where s…

    Aerial panorama of Hill Inlet, Whitehaven Beach and forested Whitsunday Island in Queensland, Australia.

    Hill Inlet meets Whitehaven Beach at the northern end of Whitsunday Island, wher…

    Key POIs in Great Barrier Reef

    Agincourt Reefs

    landmark — 36.7 km

    Heart Reef

    water feature — 520.2 km

    Hill Inlet

    landmark — 545.5 km

    Whitehaven Beach

    beach — 547.8 km

    Nearby Places

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    Daintree & Cape Tribulation

    area district — 54.3 km

    Cape Tribulation

    landmark — 55.3 km

    Daintree Rainforest

    landmark — 55.4 km

    Lake Eacham

    water feature — 108.0 km

    Curtain Fig Tree

    landmark — 109.7 km

    Overview

    The reef forms an immense marine landscape of outer barrier reefs, shallow coral gardens, sandy cays, reef channels and tropical islands. Water depth and seabed structure produce dramatic changes in colour, ranging from pale aquamarine shallows to intense blue ocean, while coral formations create complex textures visible both underwater and from elevated perspectives. Photographically, the Great Barrier Reef operates at two very different scales. Underwater, coral gardens, reef walls, turtles, rays and tropical fish provide intimate wildlife and marine subjects. From the air, individual reefs become enormous abstract landscapes of colour, pattern and geometry, with isolated sand cays and winding channels providing some of Australia's most distinctive aerial compositions.

    Key photography subjects

    • Coral reefs, lagoons and intricate reef patterns
    • Turquoise shallows and deep-blue ocean channels
    • Tropical fish, turtles, rays and marine wildlife
    • Coral cays and isolated white-sand islands
    • Aerial reef patterns and abstract marine landscapes

    Workshops in Great Barrier Reef

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