Life on the Reef

The human and animal residents of the reef prepare as a category five cyclone brings destruction to the North Queensland coast. But as cyclone season finally gives way to calm seas, the reef begins to recover and thrive.

Turtles are hatching on Raine Island. Watch as one adorable baby turtle is captured by a ghost crab and fights for its life.

Many bright colors and patterns appear on the reef at night. Take a peek at some of these crazy creatures.

Take to the skies to see the Great Barrier Reef from a new perspective.

Witness the explosion of life on the reef as the wet season approaches: corals spawn, sea birds nest and thousands of turtle hatchlings erupt over the beaches. Soon torrential rain and storms will bring change and upheaval to the delicate ecosystem.

All at once, billions of coral polyps for hundreds of miles release their egg and sperm into the ocean during the annual coral spawn. As the fireworks begin, the water column fills with what looks like an upside down snowstorm. This mass synchronized event is unlike any known elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Yet as big as it is, there’s also beauty in the detail.

Hear the story of Wally, the sex-changing (protogynous hermaphrodite) maori wrasse.

Out at sea a perfect confluence of temperatures, tides and currents are about to trigger the biggest marine event of the year. The reef is being primed for reproduction.

View a collection of predator moments from Life on the Reef.

View the sharks that live around Osprey Reef in Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef is home to a stunning array of animals, from microscopic plankton to 100-ton whales. From the coral cays of the outer reef to the Islands of the Torres Strait, the reef's human residents work to find that critical balance between our needs and those of an ever-diminishing natural world.

View the reef as tourists enjoy the perfect weather, humpback whales give birth and fire destroys a luxury yacht. On the most protected island in Australia, 20,000 green sea turtles return to the biggest reptilian breeding colony on Earth.

Humpback whales have made the long journey to calve in the warm tropical waters. They spend a few months on the reef so the newborns can build up their strength, before heading down to the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. It’s one of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom.

From the fringing reefs, the coral cays and the islands of the Torres Strait, view a unique and fresh angle on Australia’s greatest natural icon. This is the blue frontier, where man meets wild and nature calls the shots.

See time pass on the reef in hyper-speed.

Reefs are one of the noisiest environments on our planet due to all the organisms making sounds. Take a listen to the sounds that fill the reef.

On the most protected island in Australia, Raine Island, 20,000 green sea turtles return to the biggest reptilian breeding colony on Earth.