Can You See the Great Barrier Reef From Space?

Yes! When it comes to photographing the Great Barrier Reef, NASA has it covered.

The International Space Station uses an ultra-powerful camera lens that photographs all of the major reefs across the Great Barrier Reef.

Thanks to the dramatic contrasts in the reef’s colour, we can see the reef from a great distance above. This powerful lens can easily capture the Great Barrier Reef, and it’s easy to spot.

Colour contrasts in the reef

Each shade of blue in the reef means something different.

The light, pale blue areas of the reef are the shallow areas. The darker blue colours are the very deep parts of the ocean. The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest reef system on the planet. It’s one of the natural wonders of the world – a highly complex system of coral cays and ecosystems.

The narrow blue channels that separate the reef systems indicate super-deep water. The darker the blue of the water, the more nutrients the water has. These nutrients feed the reef, but there are no corals in the deep blue due to a lack of light (corals rely on light to photosynthesise, just like any plant).

The lagoons are heavily protected by waves. The force of the waves forms a kind of ring around the reef system.

This affects everything! All the way down to the small molluscs and worms that feed on the reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is a protected ecosystem

The reef system is heavily protected as a national marine park. There are three different reefs, which are all part of the Whitsunday Islands.

You’ll find these islands some 900km north of Brisbane.

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef from above

While we can’t promise that we can get you up to 36,000 km above the Earth’s surface, we can promise that you can swim through the Great Barrier Reef and see the beauty of the corals up close!

What’s better than zooming in on the photo from the International Space Station? Going into the reef and swimming right next to it yourself! Check out our snorkelling and diving tours, which allow you to get up close and personal with these impressive reef systems.

Or for a deeper experience of the reef, check out our liveaboard boat tours. Fall asleep to the tranquil rocking of the boat on the waves, and spend your days exploring the turquoise waters that teem with marine life you won’t see anywhere else in the world.