Banner image caption: An aerial view of bleached coral on the Great Barrier Reef, taken in March 2020. Image by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

The Great Barrier Reef has gotten a bad rap, in a sense, as a reef for the rich. Australia is far. Getting there is expensive. And once you arrive, you can't see it.

This ‘great’ barrier reef is an elite snorkelers’ secret with whale sharks and a luxury safari camp By Christopher Cameron Published Feb. 25, 2025, 5:41 p.m. ET ...

To slow the speed at which high temperatures and warm waters bleach the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists are spraying droplets of ocean water into the sky to form clouds to ...

An aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of the Whitsunday Islands, along the central coast of Queensland, Nov. 20, 2014.

Coral has recovered from storms and bleaching to record levels across much of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a survey has found. Find out more here.

The Great Barrier Reef starts 30 nautical miles offshore of Port Douglas, and parts of the reef can be reached in as little as 15 minutes via boat or 10 minutes if you go by helicopter.