GBR Biology

GBR Biology The largest team of Marine Biologists and First Nations Cultural Guides on the GBR 🐠 🪸🪃
Unlimited Co
Conservation | Education | Culture

🪸 What are Fragments of Opportunity?Before each Reef Recovery Day, the Reef Cooperative team collects and prepares Fragm...
31/08/2026

🪸 What are Fragments of Opportunity?

Before each Reef Recovery Day, the Reef Cooperative team collects and prepares Fragments of Opportunity.

These naturally occurring pieces of coral are carefully counted and identified to species level in the Reef Magic Research Station before being attached to Reef Stars, coral rubble stabilisation devices that support site-assisted recovery. 🌟

These small fragments will grow across the Reef Star frames, transforming unstable coral rubble into a live, hard coral-dominated reef that closely resembles a natural reef, with high coral diversity and habitat for fish and other marine life. 🐠🪸

This is a great example of how informal site-assisted recovery actions can support local coral resilience, helping reefs recover from disturbance. 🌟

Join us this week for another Reef Recovery Day onboard the Reef Magic Pontoon, where you can get hands-on with conservation and help the Reef Cooperative team attach these coral Fragments of Opportunity to Reef Stars, all while enjoying an incredible day on the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef.

Small pieces. Big comeback. Collaborative effort. 🪸🌟

Head to the link in our bio to book or learn more!

📍 Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️ , Gunggandji Sea Country!

The Reef Cooperative is a collaboration between Citizens of the Reef, GBR Biology, Mars Sustainable Solutions, Gunggandji Aboriginal Corporation and Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation. The project’s founding funder is Cotton On Foundation.

30/08/2026

Visiting the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef during winter? 🪸🔉

Take a moment to submerge yourself. You might be surprised by what you hear… 👂🏽

The sounds of gentle giants communicating with each other echo throughout the reef. Humpback whales produce a range of vocalisations that can travel vast distances through the Ocean.🐋

And they’re not alone. Beneath the surface is a constant soundscape of clicks, crackles and pops, produced by the incredible diversity of life that calls the reef home. 🪸

So next time you’re on a snorkel tour with one of our Marine Biologists, dive a little deeper and take a moment to listen. 🫶🏽

📍 Shark Fin Bay, Fitzroy Island. Gunggandji Sea Country, Fitzroy Island Adventures

🎥 Marine Biologist & MRG Natalie Smith | Marine Biologist 🐬

24/08/2026

ONE THOUSAND REEF STARS!!! 🌟

A huge thank you to YOU, the hundreds of guests who have joined The Reef Cooperative at the Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️ Pontoon during Reef Recovery Days since 2024.

Together, you’ve helped attach thousands of coral fragments of opportunity, giving them a second lease on life and supporting reef recovery, one star at a time. 🪸

We’ve officially surpassed 1,000 Reef Stars in this build on Gunggandji Sea Country, marking an incredible impact at a site level and beyond. It’s not just about the Reef Stars we’ve placed, but the conversations, connections, knowledge and friendships we’ve built along the way.

This is 21st century conservation in action, bringing science, community, Traditional Knowledge and hands-on reef stewardship together to create meaningful change for the Great Barrier Reef.

Want to get hands-on with active reef conservation? Join us for our next Reef Recovery Day this Wednesday, 26 August.

September dates:
🪸 2 September
🪸 16 September
🪸 30 September

Head to the link in our bio to book your spot and be part of the Reef recovery story. 🌟🪸

📍 Reef Magic Research Station, Gunggandji Sea Country Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️

The Reef Cooperative is a collaboration between Citizens of the Reef, GBR Biology, Mars Australia, Gunggandji Aboriginal Corporation and Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation, supported by founding funder, The Cotton On Foundation.

22/08/2026

This National Science Week, we’re celebrating “Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All”, and what better example of nurturing knowledge than the Traditional Owners who have been caring for Country and Sea Country, and passing knowledge from generation to generation for tens of thousands of years. 🪸🌿

Our First Nations Cultural Guides continue this tradition every day, sharing knowledge, stories and cultural practices with guests onboard Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel 🐠 and Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️ along with Reef Education students across all Reef Unlimited 🪸💦 experiences.

In this beautiful traditional weaving presentation, Reggie shares knowledge that was passed down to her through her aunties, teaching guests about the traditional materials gathered from Country and the techniques used to weave them. Alongside Shanessa, she is helping keep these practices alive by passing them on to the next generation and to everyone who has the privilege of learning from them.

From our first scientists, to our first stewards and caretakers of Country and Sea Country, Traditional Owners have nurtured knowledge for generations. Today, our Cultural Guides continue that legacy by sharing it with the world.

And what makes this experience even more special is that guests can take a little piece of that knowledge home with them, with a bracelet or woven creation they have made themselves.

Because passing knowledge on keeps culture strong, connections alive and the future deadly. 🖤

📍Gunggandji and Yirrganydji Sea Countries, Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel 🐠 Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️

National Science Week 🔬🪸Some of our incredible Site Stewardship team out on the Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️ Pontoon today con...
19/08/2026

National Science Week 🔬🪸

Some of our incredible Site Stewardship team out on the Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️ Pontoon today conducting monitoring of the oldest Reef Star site on the Great Barrier Reef.

This isn’t simply about collecting data. It’s about building the intimate knowledge needed to understand our reef, make informed decisions and implement the right intervention for that ecosystem.

This monitoring includes photo quadrats, coral community surveys, fish and invertebrate assemblage surveys, coral recruitment and mortality counts, and fine-scale Crown-of-Thorns Starfish surveys across the experimental Reef Star site and two control sites.

After six years, this Reef Star site resembles a natural reef, with diverse coral communities and fish assemblages, demonstrating the value of combining targeted intervention with ongoing science, monitoring and evaluation.

This is Site Stewardship in action: knowing the reef, understanding the data, taking informed action and continually evaluating the outcome.

By monitoring these reefs over time, we’re not only measuring recovery. We’re nurturing knowledge that can inform future stewardship, strengthen partnerships and help build a deeper understanding of how we can care for the Great Barrier Reef.

Because science doesn’t stop at collecting data. It grows through observation, collaboration, sharing knowledge and applying what we learn. 🔬🪸

📍 Reef Magic Pontoon, Gunggandji Sea Country Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️

This National Science Week, we’re celebrating “Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All” and honestly, that’s just ...
17/08/2026

This National Science Week, we’re celebrating “Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All” and honestly, that’s just an ordinary week for us. 🪸🐠

At GBR Biology, we’re nurturing knowledge of the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef for everyone who visits this incredible ecosystem, sharing world leading science, research initiatives and Cultural knowledge that inspire the next generation of reef stewards and contribute to the health of our Reef.

From immersive guest experiences and site stewardship, to Cultural connections and fostering our own team’s growth and understanding, nurturing knowledge happens on every level out here on the Reef.

Because when we nurture knowledge, we nurture understanding, connection and care. Through National Science Week , we’re celebrating the people, knowledge and science helping to ensure the Great Barrier Reef is understood, valued and protected for generations to come. 🪸🩵

Swipe through to see what a week of science, culture and connection looks like with us.

📍 The Great Barrier Reef, Reef Unlimited 🪸💦

Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️ Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel 🐠 Fitzroy Island Adventures Big Cat Green Island Cruises 🛥 Calypso Reef Cruises 🌴

16/08/2026

It’s National Science Week, and what better way to kick it off than with a quick glance at some of the incredible data we’ve been able to uncover from a mother and calf humpback whale pair we encountered aboard Cairns Whale Watching on 31 July last year. 🐋💙

Thanks to the Happywhale database, we were able to match the mother to a sighting history dating all the way back to 1989, when she was photographed in Hervey Bay by Pacific Whale Foundation, a well-known resting ground for these majestic giants during their long migration.

This individual has some pretty recognisable markings on her fluke, which, much like our fingerprints, are unique to each whale. You can even see noticeable rake mark patterns, potentially from an encounter with one of their main predators, orcas.

Her sighting history gives us a fascinating glimpse into her migrational journey so far. By adding our observational data, including her behaviour alongside her calf, we can also build a stronger picture of this individual and confirm that she is female.

But it doesn’t stop there! We were also able to add her calf to the database, creating the beginning of a new generational record that we can hopefully continue to follow over the years. Will the calf follow its mother’s migrational patterns, or venture along a different route? Only time will tell! 🐋

Fingers crossed they both continue to enjoy visiting the Great Barrier Reef, and that we’re lucky enough to encounter them again on one of our dedicated whale watching tours.

If you’ve been onboard Cairns Whale Watching and have any epic footage or photos to share with us, please send us a message! Otherwise, keep an eye out for the incredible individuals we’re able to identify throughout this season. 🫶🏽

A huge thank you to Pacific Whale Foundation Oz for allowing us to share their 1989 sighting, and to everyone who contributes their incredible images and data to Happywhale to help better our understanding of these amazing animals. 🐋

📍 Cairns Whale Watching, Fitzroy Island Adventures Reef Unlimited 🪸💦

📸 澳洲潛水教練 · 𝓡𝓾𝓫𝔂 𝓢𝓱𝓲 𓆉 ᵇˡᵘᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ

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Reef Fleet Terminal, 1 Spence Street,
Cairns, QLD
4870

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