Eye on the Reef

Help monitor the Reef – every sighting counts!

Eye on the Reef is the Great Barrier Reef’s official monitoring program. It combines data from everyday visitors, tourism operators, scientists, and reef managers to build a big picture of reef health over time.

By logging what you see – from turtles and sharks to coral bleaching or crown-of-thorns starfish – you’re helping protect this World Heritage icon.

There are four tiers of monitoring, designed for different levels of experience:

• Sightings Network: For anyone on the Reef. Log marine life or incidents using the Eye on the Reef app.
• Rapid Monitoring: Simple underwater surveys using slates, tracks reef health and common species.
• Tourism Weekly Monitoring: Regular checks by trained tourism staff at key sites. Detects changes in reef health over time.
• Reef Health and Impact Surveys (RHIS): In-depth surveys by rangers and reef experts.

Each contribution adds to a powerful dataset that helps marine managers detect change, respond to impacts, and plan for the Reef’s future.