Aerial view of Hastings Reef, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Hastings Reef is South of Norman and Saxon Reefs a 10 square kilometre patch of spectacular corals and exotic fish. Large pinnacles range from 0-18 metres and are covered in various types of coral including fire, plate, pillar and brain corals. Coral gardens extend across much of this large reef, even throughout the various caves. Hastings Reef, outstanding swim throughs will lead divers right up into the reefs where they will come across families of sweetlip, cod and trout. Hastings is the famous location for tame reef sharks and Wally the friendly giant maori wrasse. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labelled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. According to a study published in October 2012 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985. The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Aerial view of Hastings Reef, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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