Life on the Reef

Tourists flock to the reef to enjoy the perfect weather as humpback whales arrive to give birth. Fire destroys a luxury yacht and a critical salvage mission is launched. 20,000 green sea turtles arrive to nest on Raine Island – the biggest turtle rookery on Earth.

The approach of the wet season brings an explosion of life on the reef as corals spawn, sea birds nest and turtle hatchlings erupt over the beaches in the thousands. Like a great alien spaceship, the manta ray comes swooping in, a gentle plankton feeding giant up to seven meters wide and weighing as much as two tons. Soon torrential rain and severe storms will close in, bringing change and upheaval to the delicate ecosystem.

The human and animal residents of the reef prepare as a category 5 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. From the mangroves to the coral cays, reef fish populations flourish, and mysterious dwarf minke whales arrive to enjoy the warm tropical waters.