master_reef_guide_michelle

17/09/2023

25/08/2023

I learned a few new things about our Minke Munchers, the cookie cutter shark! Check out this great post from Shark Guardian

The Cookiecutter shark (Isistius brasiliensis) is a small species of shark that earned its name because of the unique way it feeds.

It attaches itself to larger animals, such as whales, dolphins, and even submarines, and removes circular bites from their flesh, leaving distinctive "cookie cutter" shaped wounds. Despite its small size, this shark has a rather unusual feeding strategy that sets it apart from other sharks!

Cookiecutter sharks are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They inhabit both deep oceanic and coastal waters, typically at depths ranging from 200 meters (656 feet) to 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).

These sharks have been observed in various regions, including the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean. They have a widespread distribution, but due to their deep-sea habitat and relatively small size, they are not commonly encountered by humans.

𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

17/08/2023

Missing my Minke Friends. Safe journeys back to Antarctica. Probably on the southern GBR northern NSW by now 🩵🐋

10/08/2023

The GBR has the highest hard coral cover still since surveys began 37 years ago…

02/08/2023

02/08/2023

01/08/2023

Did you know some aNEMOme fish are weaponised?

Meet the unique Spine Cheek ANEMOme fish (Premnas biaculeatus) in her bulb-tentacle anemone.

ANEMOme fish are an iconic species in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and act as an indicator species when the reef is under threat.

Anemones and their favourite fish live in a mutualist symbiotic relationship meaning they give as much as they get for each other.

The anemone also lives in a mutual symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae gets a safe haven to live and the anemone gets excess energy from the photosynthesising plant 🌱
When ocean temperatures rise the anemone releases the plant from its tissues causing it to bleach just like coral! While the anemone can survive on passing planktonic snacks for a few months the health of the anemone tells a greater story of the level of severity of a bleaching event. With another El Niño predicted for this summer in Australia, we will be watching our local anemones and their inhabitants closely.

When visiting the reef, report any sightings of aNEMOme fish and their anemone home on the app to track any changes!

27/07/2023

Osprey Reef is an ancient seamount who’s coral atoll that surrounds the top of the long extinct volcano began its rise to the surface at the end of the last ice age when see levels rose 120m (394 ft)

Located due east 100kms of Australia’s continental shelf and with in the Coral Sea Marine Park, one of worlds largest, it is a playground for experienced divers to explore its plummeting drop offs, patrolling sharks and psychedelic soft corals!

Osprey Reef has enjoyed protective ‘green zone’ status from fishing since 2018 and the results are beginning to really show with biodiversity skyrocketing and robust pelagic species of fish and sharks returning in greater numbers each year!

Some highlight wildlife are migrating Tiger Sharks and Oceanic Mantas in October- Feb, Whale Sharks December-January, Hammerhead(Great and Scalloped) May - August, and of course our year round inhabitants, Grey and white tip reef sharks, Silver Tip Sharks, Dog Toothed Tuna, Big-eyed and Chevron Barracuda, Big eyed trevally, eagle rays, and incredible corals!

27/07/2023

Osprey Reef is an ancient seamount who’s coral atoll that surrounds the top of the long extinct volcano began its rise to the surface at the end of the last ice age when see levels rose 120m (394 ft)

Located due east 100kms of Australia’s continental shelf and with in the Coral Sea Marine Park, one of worlds largest, it is a playground for experienced divers to explore its plummeting drop offs, patrolling sharks and psychedelic soft corals!

Osprey Reef has enjoyed protective ‘green zone’ status from fishing since 2018 and the results are beginning to really show with biodiversity skyrocketing and robust pelagic species of fish and sharks returning in greater numbers each year!

23/07/2023

On the edge of the continental shelf of Australia lies a magical world of friendly giants…

15/07/2023

Olive Ridley’s are one of the 6 out 7 species of sea turtles that can be found on the Great Barrier Reef. Here they are nesting by the 1000’s in Costa Rica on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

06/10/2021

Happiness is Spirit of Freedom!!

12/08/2021

The music started playing at Steve’s Bommie and all the Stone Fish came out to find a new spot for the afternoon! While I was filming this one other divers were waving me down alerting me of additional stone fish around the Bommie all suddenly changing locations! Time of day or tide maybe but it was amazing to witness!

27/07/2021

👀 Do you know which juvenile fish I have managed to catch here on film?
👇 Type your guesses in comments 👇

Unsure 🤔 Here’s a few hints! 😉

📍Primary method of hunting: able to turn over coral rubble, substrate and shells in search of food. Teeth and jaw specialises in crunching and crushing

📍generally solitary although you occasionally find them teamed up with other species that hunt on sandy/rubble bottoms

📍As a juvenile (seen here) the fish is mimicking drifting w**d and to hide in plain sight from predators

📍 This fish belongs to one of the larger and most diverse Family groups on the reef currently 185 species and feed primarily on hard shelled invertebrates including crabs 🦀 shrimp 🦐 brittle stars and small Gastropods.

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📌 Century Bay | Flair Point unnamed reef 15-072
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25/07/2021

Goodnight Moon 🌝

This weekend we had a rare winter weekend of winds less than 5 knots coupled with the most incredible full moon smiling down one us!

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📍 Ribbon Reef 3,
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06/07/2021

💙

Rough seas disappear when I look into your eyes…

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30/06/2021

A must do for anyone who loves the ocean, snorkelers and divers at every age!

Just imagine…

Bobbing up and down in perfect sync with the rise and fall of the coral sea. Staring into a blue abyss. Your eyes see strange shapes and shadows before you, playing tricks on your mind. You continue to wait, patiently. The sounds of lapping waves, wind and the hollow sound of your breath bouncing around in your snorkel, while your eyes endlessly search for anything recognisable.

Suddenly, a patch of white catches your gaze…

Your eyes drawn to it, you focus hard, but not for long, as this massive approaching shadow slowly begins to take shape. Your breathing has stopped, your eyes lock onto their’s…

Suddenly there is only silence, everything is in that moment. You and the whale… there are other people all around, but the whale is there with only you…

master_reef_guide_michelle transporting us into the magic moments with a Dwarf Minke Whale on the Great Barrier Reef.

29/06/2021

✨ S M I L E ✨

Dwarf Minke Whales are an undescribed species of Balaenoptera acutorostrata the Common Minke Whale. But these little whales are anything but common, they are exceptional!

90% of all encounters with DM🐋 happen in June & July ( winter time in far northern )
These encounters are 100% controlled by the whales.

Just imagine…

Bobbing up and down in perfect sync with the rise and fall of the coral sea. Staring into a blue abyss. Your eyes see strange shapes and shadows before you, playing tricks on your mind. You continue to wait, patiently. The sounds of lapping waves, wind and the hollow sound of your breath bouncing around in your snorkel, while your eyes endlessly search for anything recognisable.

Suddenly, a patch of white catches your gaze…

Your eyes drawn to it, you focus hard, but not for long, as this massive shape slowly approaches. Your breathing has stopped, your eye lock onto their’s…

Suddenly there is only silence, everything is in that moment. You and the whale… there are other people all around? But the whale is there with only you…

📸
With my trusty

24/06/2021

Dwarf Minke Whale Season!

While returning to OceanQuest on a dive a lone appeared. Following the Code of Practice is very important for us and the whales. If you see a Minke Whale in while or

✔️ Hold onto a line, (mooring, drop lines, drop tank) all responsible operations will have lines in the water for safer stops

✔️ Remain still on the line, never swim towards the whale, if the whale comes in close never touch the whale for your safety and the whale - it is illegal to touch a whale

✔️ if a whale approach’s while on the dive site, do not leave the site or chase after the whale. Remain on the site complete your dive per your dive plan and return to the boat using safety lines

✔️ turn off strobes and video lights when photographing or filming a whale

✔️ Report all sightings and behaviours on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Eye on the Reef app

✔️Enjoy! Experiences like this are extraordinary and special, take photos but also take the time to have that personal connection observing these incredible little whales!

💙 Did you know you can complete the Dwarf Minke Whale Awareness Distinctive Specialty as a or not only will you learn appropriate interaction with these beautiful creatures but a portion of the costs goes to the Minke Whale Project and PADI Project Aware supporting research, education and positive climate action.

📸 with my housing

16/06/2021

S H E L L - A B R A T E

Happy World Turtle Day to my favourite mariner!

🗺 6 of the 7 species of sea turtles in the entire world can be found in the

🐢 The (as pictured) is named so because of the greenish coloured fat caused by their algae rich diet

🤷‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏻‍♂️ Scientist know very little about the first few years of a young sea turtles life as they spend it riding ocean currents around the globe 🌎 and are very different to locate and track

🧭 Sea turtles are some of the best navigators in the ocean, when they reach breeding age in their 30’s, turtles are able to find their way back to the very beach they were born on, in order to reproduce the next generation!

🚮 Sea Turtles desperately need our help to eliminate plastic and rubbish in our oceans! Sea turtles can mistake floating plastic items for jellyfish (one of their favourite foods) and ingest them causing, floating disease, starvation and death 🥺

31/05/2021

Our First Dwarf Minke Whale of the season!! After 4 amazing days of diving around Ribbon Reefs 10, 5, & 3 our grand finally was a lone after a morning session at Cracker Jack!

Trip number 2 onboard departs tomorrow morning, get ready for months of Minke Spam!

25/05/2021

Master Chef + Master Reef Guide = ?

See what we get up to this Sunday 4:30

21/03/2021

Oooooooh

B A R R A C U D A

A scene common on deep reef shelf’s near continental drop offs yet surprisingly also found just off the coast on
This my favourite section on the west side snorkel safari! A must for all who visit this little patch of
These shimmering, sleek, yellowtail are simply showstoppers particularly when framed with my favourite orange

is best kept secret no more!

Filmed March 21, 2021 by

03/01/2021

Spinner Dolphins enjoying Sunday Funday!

08/12/2020

✨ What lies underneath ✨

You may never fully see what lies beneath the beauty. You may not want to know, it may be too depressing to fully know what happened before, you’re just happy to see what’s there now, colours, beauty, sparkly fish!

Coral reefs and their struggles are so aligned with the human experience. On the outside you see a thing of beauty but it’s what’s underneath, what this beauty is standing on, building on. Below is a hardened shell, laid to waste by death, disease, starvation, greed, violence, heat, pressure, stress, and even the break down of complex relationships.

When you see the beauty on the surface you must also appreciate what it took to get there. The time, struggles, pain, are the foundation for the life you see.

All reefs, like people are in different phases of life, that doesn’t make one better or worse than another. Only that some need more time and maybe even support to come back stronger than ever. Don’t give up. We have changed the world in many positive ways, we can change the fate of reefs and ourselves.

Out of the 13 reefs we surveyed, this was the only one we found in this condition. This section was located less than 1 km from 3 super healthy coral covered patch reefs and 250 metres from an incredible coral garden full of healthy old growth corals, a popular dive spot!

There were signs of new life just starting out growing directly onto of old death. The location had large patches of pink calcareous algae a necessity for new baby corals to have a successful start. The water was crystal clear a sign that it was devoid of nutrients along with many old giant clams (filtering nutrients out of the water) another necessity for new corals!

Everything in place ready to rebuild, just needs humans to do their part to slow our rapidly changing reducing CO2 immediately. We must work together and support each other. Positive Vibes ✌️

@ Ribbon Reef

06/12/2020

The story of this dive site is one of my absolute favourites to share with guests. It is a story of resilience and yet is also a foreshadowing of two outcomes one in which climate change is not addressed the other in which climate change is addressed. This dive site is known as simply as to towers, my first few dives at two towers began about eight or nine years ago, the dive site was never one of my favourites, it did have some amazing characteristics of large fish schools and quite a bit of hard coral scattering the site and a giant Seastar with spikes all over it that I never paid much mind to accept the fact that they were extraordinarily large and there was quite a few of them on the Dive site. About five years ago the dive site was completely stripped of all of its living hard coral polyps due to these giant see stars known as crown of thorns & year later the remaining bits of corals hard and soft and fan were ripped from their foundations during a category 5 cyclone that had struck the area in succession within a 24 hour period. After back to back cyclones and the invasion of the crown of thorns, we all but abandoned the dive site only to use it during Minke Whale season as a mooring for snorkelling with Dwarf Minke whales. Fast forward to 2020 post yet another bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef we revisited Two Towers as to survey for the . As we descended to the bottom I did see the remnants of the Two Towers that I knew, stripped bare substrate, even found a small crown of thorns starfish. Not much hard coral life on the bottom but as you trickle up the slope to the top of the two towers you begin to see the resilience and the beauty that is repopulating the reef structure. From the 10 m mark all the way to the surface there is not a single space not occupied by a beautiful colourful hard coral colonies all the colours of the rainbow from pinks to blues purples, greens, oranges, yellows not a single colour of the spectrum left out. 🌈 With all these beautiful hard Corals creating a diverse habitat were schools of reef fish, well the photos will finish my story...

@ Ribbon Reefs

27/11/2020

✨ W E E K E N D ✨

Are you getting out to the reef this weekend? Want to help gather valuable reconnaissance data about the Great Barrier Reef?

🤿 Grab a Snorkel Buddy & a 📸 camera/

While you’re out exploring;
✨ Take a photo of your hand 🖐 (so you can find the submission later easily)
✨ Take an image of the coral reef from 3 - 15m away
✨ Take 10 photos about 10m apart, capture images of marine life and monument corals
✨ Submit your survey photos to GreatReefCensus.org
✨ Congratulations 🥳 you’re a

Join us for the Journey!

The is a project delivered in partnership with the Australian Institute of marine science and funded by the partnership between the and the with support from

📸
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22/11/2020

Have you ever seen a Baler Shell and it’s giant egg sack?

The amazing crew found this amazing animal and it’s offspring during our snorkel survey for the

Have you ever seen a giant snail lay eggs?

📸

Want to help gather valuable reconnaissance data about the Great Barrier Reef?

🤿 Grab a Snorkel Buddy & a 📸 camera/

While you’re out exploring;
✨ Take a photo of your hand 🖐 (so you can find the submission later easily)
✨ Take an image of the coral reef from 3 - 15m away
✨ Take 10 photos about 10m apart, capture images of marine life and monument corals
✨ Submit your survey photos to GreatReefCensus.org
✨ Congratulations 🥳 you’re a

Join us for the Journey!

The is a project delivered in partnership with the Australian Institute of marine science and funded by the partnership between the and the with support from

07/11/2020

✨ 🐸 🐠 💛 ✨

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After completing over 6,000 dives on the people would think I’ve seen it all.

Well, that is literally impossible!

With in the 40% having never even been surveyed, 80% of all tourism on the reef happens on only a handful of reefs in the Whitsundays and off of Cairns, the rest still has many secrets yet to be revealed! (Surprise found an underwater skyscraper and numerous species over the past few months alone)

Like seeing a yellow Giant Frogfish, there are many surprises yet to find!

Come visit the Great Barrier Reef with a high standard tourism operator and see it with one of our
Help protect the reef and assist with projects like the and most importantly support local tourism by visiting your backyard

06/11/2020

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Underwater Rainbows

What expression of diversity is better a representation of life than a Millions of similar all containing the same biological requirements to exist but different pigments 🌈 that give than unique and different colours, special adaptations 🐠 for different advantages. Coral reefs would be dull and ineffective in their natural rolls if they were all the same. Celebrate it’s what gives the world colour!

Model:
📸:
📍: Agincourt Reefs, accessible via Port Douglas, QLD

28/10/2020

📣 Special Announcement 📣

is BACK for a SPECIAL EXPEDITION !!

We’ve teamed up with for the departing:

✨30 November - 04 December, 2020✨

Join us for the Journey!

The is a project delivered in partnership with the Australian Institute of marine science and funded by the partnership between the and the with support from

Itinerary:

Day 1. 9.30am check-in direct to the vessel depart at 10.30am – checkout dives at Norman reef & overnight to Ribbon Reefs

Day 2. Ribbon Reefs Exploration

Day 3. Ribbon Reefs Exploration

Day 4. Ribbon Reefs Exploration

Day 5. Disembark 8.30am Cairns

$2,990 per person + dive gear hire ($100) for entire trip. Solo cabin plus 20%!

Trip is capped at 18 guests (3 spots already spoken for) so get in early for this unique experience as only Spirit of Freedom and her crew can deliver! Cabin selection is first in best dressed!

26/10/2020

Anyone who’s ever done an organised tour will know the host or tour guide can make or break the experience. That’s why it pays to book a Great Barrier Reef tour with one of the Master Reef Guides, the official ambassadors of the world’s most famous reef.

13/10/2020

✨ F I S H L I P S ✨

How does the most beautiful fish in the world feel about people who participate in the

So happy he gives you fish kisses!! 😘

Join us for the Journey!

The is a project delivered in partnership with the Australian Institute of marine science and funded by the partnership between the and the with support from

📸 with my

10/10/2020

✨ ᥴⅈ𝕥ⅈ𝕫ꫀꪀ ડᥴⅈꫀꪀᥴꫀ ✨

Are you getting out to the reef this weekend? Want to help gather valuable reconnaissance data about the Great Barrier Reef?

🤿 Grab a or Buddy
+
📸 Camera or

While you’re out exploring;
✨ Take a photo of your hand 🖐 (so you can find the submission later easily)
✨ Take an image of the coral reef from 3 - 15m away
✨ Take 10 photos about 10m apart, capture images of marine life and monument corals
✨ Submit your survey photos to GreatReefCensus.org
✨ Congratulations 🥳 you’re a

Join us for the Journey!

The is a project delivered in partnership with the Australian Institute of marine science and funded by the partnership between the and the with support from

📸
⚓️
























@ Great Barrier Reef

08/10/2020

✨ C O M M U N I T Y ✨

No matter where you work on the we all have one common goal supporting initiatives that support the reef!

30/09/2020

✨ T H A T G U Y ✨

crew remaining connected with the reef and loving it! While reviewing footage from day of with I found this little gem!
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Starring 🤩
as the🥚
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Site boss, the unimpressed damsel fish 🐟
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Clearly concentrating too hard
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29/09/2020

✨ B O S S ✨

That face you make when the site boss shows up out of no where to check your work 😳
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Some of the and crew joined on Saturday learn all about their amazing coral gardening project and give it a go ourselves! Special thanks to Master Reef Guide Russ for putting us through our paces, it was an amazing experience! Can’t wait to see my garden grow!
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📸 with
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15/08/2020

✨ T R U M P ✨

is the name of this particular Maori Wrasse found on Moore Reef at Marine Land and I’m in Love 🥰 There are 2 males that share the territory around the pontoon, Trump and Wally, however Trump is the largest of the 2 and the most stunning looking fish I have ever seen!

Having never been to Moore Reef before... (pausing for the shock to pass) the reason for the shock is that Moore Reef is High Value tourism meaning majority of visitors to the Great Barrier Reef Only visit Moore Reef. (Whitsundays and Norman Reef are up there too)

I was blown away about the coral coverage, especially considering only a few months ago 68% of the corals in the lagoon was suffering from heat stress and reacting by releasing their symbiotic algae from their skeletons leaving them pale and naked!! I was happy to see a full recovery of their top tier location!! Great Day with my fellow

Thanks to the team Eric and Dustin for showing me around!

Special Thanks to my 4 Citizens Scientist Volunteers that helped collect valuable data on the day! 🐠 Lagoon Team &
🐟 Drift Snorkel Team &

All our amazing animal and coral finds will be loaded into and used to study the health of the corals
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@ Moore Reef