GBR Biology

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

12/09/2026

Happy World Dolphin Day! 🐬

If there’s one thing dolphins are good at, it’s making an entrance.

Whether they’re crashing semi-sub and snorkel tours, bow riding alongside vessels or popping up unexpectedly, these curious, intelligent and playful marine mammals certainly know how to steal the show.

And for those lucky enough to encounter them on the Great Barrier Reef, it’s a moment that tends to stick around long after the dorsal fin disappears beneath the surface.

Today, we’re celebrating these incredible animals and the wild encounters that remind us just how special our marine environment is. 🩵

Do you have a favourite dolphin encounter?🐬

📍 Great Barrier Reef w/ Reef Unlimited 🪸💦

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

Swipe to see what this damsel fish is moody about… 🐙👀Just an innocent octopus hiding amongst the reef structure around G...
09/09/2026

Swipe to see what this damsel fish is moody about… 🐙👀

Just an innocent octopus hiding amongst the reef structure around Green Island Jetty. A common sight for our Marine Biologists, who know exactly where these elusive little geniuses love to hide. But as you can see, you might snorkel straight past one without even noticing!

That’s why you’ll find our university-trained Marine Biologists across the Reef Unlimited 🪸💦 fleet, providing intimate guided snorkel tours and sharing their knowledge of these incredible sites.

Because there’s so much more to the Great Barrier Reef than what first meets the eye. Green Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, recognised for its exceptional natural beauty, incredible biodiversity, which Green Island is not short of and the ongoing ecological processes that sustain its diverse marine ecosystems.

Sometimes, it’s the smallest encounters that help tell the biggest story.🩵 🐙

📍 Green Island, Gunggandji Sea Country Big Cat Green Island Cruises 🛥

📸 These incredible images captured by Marine Biologist John Abnet

06/09/2026

Life is better in the BLUE on the GBR 🩵🐠🪸

aaaaaand a life without the Great Barrier Reef would definitely be BLEEE!!! 🥱

📍 Gunggandji Sea Country, Reef Magic - Cairns ☀️
🎥 Marine Biologist & MRG Natalie Smith | Marine Biologist 🐬

🪸 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.

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

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