Reef Check Australia

Reef Check Australia An award-winning conservation charity engaging the Australian community in reef monitoring, education and conservation. GET INVOLVED!
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We believe there is hope for reefs if we act now. Our teams of trained volunteer divers are part of a worldwide network of volunteers who regularly monitor and report on reef health in more than 90 countries. Each project uses the same standardised Reef Check scientific survey method and basic indicators, helping to both monitor reefs on a local scale and compare reef health on a global scale. Ree

f Check Australia has been monitoring the Great Barrier Reef since 2001 and extended to monitor rocky reefs in South East Queensland in 2007. In 2013 we will expand our program to the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia.

Despite rain throughout most of the day, the skies cleared just in time for our underwater clean-up at Tallebudgera Cree...
01/06/2026

Despite rain throughout most of the day, the skies cleared just in time for our underwater clean-up at Tallebudgera Creek this week - and we were rewarded with absolutely beautiful conditions underwater. 🌊

With around 7 metres of visibility, the creek was alive with fish life. The team spotted hundreds of fish throughout the clean-up, including large mullet, butterflyfish, and huge numbers of juvenile fish sheltering throughout the creek system.

Our tiny but mighty crew removed approximately 1.5kg of marine debris from the water, including:
🎣 Around 90 pieces of fishing line
🪝 Roughly 10 fishing lures and numerous sinkers
🍾 Glass bottles and plastic bottles
🥤 Crushed cans and general litter

The team also identified large submerged pieces of heavy waterlogged timber, which have now been reported to council.

While the amount removed might not sound huge, fishing line and small debris can have a massive impact on wildlife, particularly in important estuarine habitats like Tallebudgera Creek where juvenile fish, turtles, rays, and other marine life feed and shelter.

Huge thanks to the volunteers who braved the weather and helped make the creek a little cleaner yesterday. 💙

Its always a beautiful opportunity to meet up with fellow volunteers from all over the coast.

And a gentle reminder - if you’re out enjoying the waterways and spot a piece of rubbish somewhere safe to reach, picking it up really does make a difference. Small actions add up.

The ‘Shore to Seafloor: Tackling Marine Debris Across the Marine Environment’ project’ is proudly funded by the Queensland Government.

Tiny team. Big effort. Lots of rubbish. 🌊Two of us headed out for a land-based clean-up at Tallebudgera, working between...
30/05/2026

Tiny team. Big effort. Lots of rubbish. 🌊

Two of us headed out for a land-based clean-up at Tallebudgera, working between bursts of rain to cover a huge stretch of beach - from the low tide line up to the walkway, along to the rock wall, and about halfway up the rock wall.

The rain may have kept a few people away, but it certainly didn’t keep the rubbish away.

Over two hours, we collected hundreds of pieces of debris, including:
Over 100 cigarette butts
Bread ties
Band-aids
Soft plastic fragments
Small hard plastic pieces
Polystyrene and foam
Paper straws
Chupa Chups sticks
Plastic cutlery
Balloons

We also found plenty of receipts and paper waste, a tooth flosser, and the most unexpected item of the day - a set of dentures. Yep. Dentures. On the beach. 😳

It was a beautiful day, with great company, even if we’d much rather not have to clean up this much rubbish in the first place.

Every piece removed matters, especially the tiny bits that are so easy to miss but so harmful in coastal and marine environments.

Thanks to everyone who continues to show up, support, and care for these places we love. 💙

And a gentle reminder - if you’re out enjoying the waterways and spot a piece of rubbish somewhere safe to reach, picking it up really does make a difference. Small actions add up.

The ‘Shore to Seafloor: Tackling Marine Debris Across the Marine Environment’ project’ is proudly funded by the Queensland Government.

Early May Reef Check Australia joined an incredible collaborative team out at Mudjimba Island for a project dry run coor...
28/05/2026

Early May Reef Check Australia joined an incredible collaborative team out at Mudjimba Island for a project dry run coordinated by Meridan State College, bringing together partners from across research, education, government, and the dive community. 🌊

Participants included:
Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI)
University of the Sunshine Coast
Sunreef
Meridan State College
Reef Check Australia

The day focused on trialling Reef Check Australia survey methodologies alongside a variety of underwater monitoring techniques ahead of the broader Mudjimba Island project rollout.

While visibility conditions were definitely not at their clearest (we’ve all seen Mudjimba on a much better day 😅), the reef still delivered some incredible wildlife encounters.

The team spotted:
🐢 Multiple green and hawksbill turtles
🐟 Hundreds - if not thousands - of fish
🦈 Wobbegongs resting on the reef
🌈 A variety of nudibranch species
🪸 And only a small amount of fishing line debris

Projects like this are such a powerful reminder of what can happen when community, science, education, and industry come together with a shared goal of understanding and protecting our marine environments.

Huge thanks to everyone involved. Excited to see this project continue to evolve. 💙

We acknowledge the Kabi Kabi People as the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea Country on which this clean-up took place, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

This project has received funding support from the Sunshine Coast Council Environment Levy Partnerships Grant.

Want to join in the next event?
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https://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/

I've just come off five days on Orpheus Island, and it's been a whirlwind.I was invited to be part of a programme bringi...
26/05/2026

I've just come off five days on Orpheus Island, and it's been a whirlwind.

I was invited to be part of a programme bringing together participants from in Saudi Arabia, with facilitators from Reef Ecologic, the World Bank, the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, Reef Check Australia, and James Cook University. All focused on something we care deeply about: building the next generation of leaders in coral reef management.

And I want to be honest about what that actually looked like.

This is part of a 30-day programme for the participants, and our five days together on the reef was one piece of that. Yes, there were workshops and slides and conversations in rooms. But it was also about being on and in the water. Together. Conversations that crossed cultures and disciplines and quietly challenged every assumption in the room. The kind of learning that happens when you stop performing and start paying attention.

We landed in April, Global Citizen Science Month, which felt right. Because what we were doing was exactly that. People showing up. Contributing to something real. Being part of something that extends far beyond any one of us.

The moment that's still sitting with me is hearing researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science talk about the coral core samples they had collected.

Reading the reef, literally. Holding time in their hands.

You could see the story written there. Flood events. Stress periods. Decades of change recorded in the structure of the coral itself. Nothing abstract about it. Nothing theoretical. Just the truth of what has happened, preserved and legible for those willing to learn how to read it.

And then being back on sites many of us have known for years, decades even, and seeing how completely they've shifted. Reefs we've loved, stripped back. That lands differently when you're standing in it. It's grief, honestly. Real and grounding and worth sitting with.

But the question I kept coming back to was: what do we do with that? What do we take forward? Where is the hope in this?

Because there is hope. That's what reefs of hope means to me. It's a call to look clearly at what's in front of you and still choose to act, still choose to build, still choose to believe the future is worth fighting for.

It's about what happens when participants and facilitators from different countries, different disciplines, different ways of seeing the world are brought into the same space and given the chance to actually listen to each other.

Curiosity opens. Conversations go somewhere real. And the future starts to feel like something you can actually have a hand in shaping.

That's what I keep coming back to. The quality of the questions. The willingness to stay in it, together, even when it's complicated and uncertain and the reef doesn't look the way it used to.

That's the kind of work I'll say yes to. Every single time.

What do a tyre, a pile of polystyrene, and a bunch of abandoned toys have in common?They were all pulled from Dunk Islan...
24/05/2026

What do a tyre, a pile of polystyrene, and a bunch of abandoned toys have in common?

They were all pulled from Dunk Island during an incredible clean-up effort with Coral Expeditions and a whole lot of enthusiastic volunteers.

Together, we removed two bags of rubbish, including hard plastic pieces, discarded bottles and cans, polystyrene, a tyre, and an unexpected collection of toys.

The energy was huge. The crew was amazing. And the effort? Absolutely epic.

Big thanks to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and got involved, and to the Coral Expeditions crew for helping create these moments of action, connection, and care for our coastlines.

Every clean-up counts. Every piece removed matters. And every person who joins in becomes part of something bigger.

Baby sharks in the waves. Rubbish on the shore. A group of people willing to do something about it.During our recent Cor...
22/05/2026

Baby sharks in the waves. Rubbish on the shore. A group of people willing to do something about it.

During our recent Coral Expeditions voyage, a small crew of early risers set off on a morning walk to Nudie Beach on Fitzroy Island.
What greeted us was both beautiful and confronting - an empty coral beach, baby sharks chasing fish in the shallows, and more than 50 pieces of rubbish scattered along the shoreline.

Together, we removed hard plastic, water bottles, metal cans, a tent, clothing, and even an embedded sun chair.

The best part?
Watching everyone naturally come together with the shared belief that every little bit helps.

This is what community looks like.
This is what citizen science looks like.
And honestly, it was a pretty special way to start the day.

Huge thanks to everyone involved, and to the Coral Expeditions crew for making it such a memorable experience.

🌊 Calling all ocean lovers, reef guardians & community changemakers! 💙Our friends at the Ocean Film Festival crew have o...
14/05/2026

🌊 Calling all ocean lovers, reef guardians & community changemakers! 💙

Our friends at the Ocean Film Festival crew have officially launched the Turn the Tide Film Tour — a powerful collection of inspiring ocean conservation films sharing stories from around the globe about protecting the blue heart of our planet. 🐠🐢🌏

And the exciting part? Anyone can host a screening!

For as little as $30, you can organise your own community screening to:
✨ Raise awareness for local marine issues
✨ Fundraise for ocean conservation initiatives
✨ Bring your community together through storytelling and impact
✨ Celebrate World Oceans Day in a meaningful way

Choose from a 60 or 90-minute film program featuring educational, inspiring and entertaining films from independent filmmakers passionate about ocean conservation and action. 🌊🎬

This is such a beautiful opportunity to spark conversations, inspire change and connect communities through a shared love for our oceans.

Watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B12NUfc4CkQ
Find out how to host your own screening via www.turnthetide.com.au

12/05/2026

It's an eye-opener seeing things like this. 😭 What are your first thoughts?

Thank goodness these divers crossed paths and were able to unburden this majestic creature. 🙏🏽🌊

🎬

Easter weekend at Alma Bay — a reminder that small actions still matter 🌊During our clean-up across the beach and underw...
12/05/2026

Easter weekend at Alma Bay — a reminder that small actions still matter 🌊

During our clean-up across the beach and underwater, our teams collected hundreds of plastic fragments lodged amongst the sand and rocks - pieces already breaking down into even smaller debris that can easily be missed but have long-term impacts on marine life.
Among the finds were items like a discarded toothbrush, fishing tackle packaging, a plastic ice bag that had travelled from Townsville, old rope and broken glass recovered during a low-visibility underwater clean-up.

It’s easy to look at pollution and feel like individual efforts won’t make a difference. But every fragment removed is one less piece entering the food chain, harming wildlife, or breaking down further into microplastics. Impact doesn’t always come from a single large action… it builds through consistent, collective effort.

Beyond the debris itself, our morning was filled with meaningful conversations with locals and visitors who care deeply about protecting this place. That shared awareness and willingness to act is where real change begins.

ReefCleanis funded by the Reef Trustand delivered by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with a range of organisations. The project focuses on removing marine debris from the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas.

To find out more about Reef Check Australia and how you can get involved check out the website, and sign up for our enews letter to stay up to date!

https://www.facebook.com/ReefClean
https://www.facebook.com/dcceew
https://www.facebook.com/ReefTrustAusGov
https://www.facebook.com/tangaroablue

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1/377 Montague Road, West End
Brisbane, QLD
4101

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm

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