Access
Day boats from Cairns, Port Douglas and the Whitsundays; island research stations (Heron, Lady Elliot); liveaboards to the Ribbon Reefs and Coral Sea. Green-zone rules and Marine Park charges apply.
The Great Barrier Reef is a coral province off Queensland, managed as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park since 1975 and inscribed by UNESCO in 1981. It is not one snorkel stop: ribbon reefs, coral cays, inshore islands and a few historic wrecks sit under the same zoning maps GBRMPA publishes.
Wow factor is at the top of this atlas. Seasonality is high because of the summer stinger (box-jellyfish) window, cyclone risk and the difference between a calm cay and a Coral Sea wall. Accessibility is middling: Cairns and the Whitsundays run day boats; outer ribbon reefs and the Yongala are longer, weather-bound trips.
This chapter is a place atlas, not a certifying agency, not medical advice, and not a live briefing. Zoning, stinger suits and the day's wind override any sentence here.
Local notes
Season
Dry-season trade winds (roughly May-October) are the mass tourism window. November-May is the official stinger season on many beaches; operators issue lycra suits. Cyclone names close outer reefs.
Agencies
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Queensland Parks, AMSA for wrecks. PADI and SSI cards do not replace a park brief or a stinger-suit rule.
LengthAbout 2,300 km
Park authorityGBRMPA (1975)
UNESCO1981 listing
Stinger seasonOften Nov-May
Famous wreckSS Yongala 1911
Not this pageA live dive brief
Profile
Accessibility
48
Skill ceiling
50
Gear load
56
Risk
46
Seasonality
64
Wow factor
96
Seven chapters
Origins
From Cook charts and island research to GBRMPA and UNESCO.
Read →
How
Zone first, then a cay, a pontoon or a liveaboard.
Read →
Gear
Lycra, a park-aware bag, and rental cylinders.
Read →
Safety
Stingers, boats, current and sun: not a briefing.
Read →
Points
Eight real sites: cays, ribbons, pontoons and the Yongala.
Read →
Culture
Researchers, GBRMPA, and the pontoon brief.
Read →
Today
Bleaching, green zones, and a tourism that must shrink its footprint.
Read →
Frequently asked questions
When did the Reef become a marine park?
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act created GBRMPA in 1975. UNESCO World Heritage listing followed in 1981.
What is stinger season?
A Queensland coastal window, often November to May, when box jellyfish and Irukandji risk rises. Many beaches fly stinger nets; reef pontoons issue full-body lycra. This is not a medical protocol.
Is the Yongala on the Reef?
SS Yongala sank in 1911 off Cape Bowling Green and is dived as a protected historic wreck in GBR waters, typically as an exterior. See wreck-diving.
Ribbon Reefs vs pontoons?
Ribbon Reefs (including Cod Hole) are outer-shelf walls, usually liveaboard or long day boats. Pontoons at Agincourt, Hardy and similar sites are the mass snorkel product.
Can people walk on coral cays?
Cays are nesting and research sites. Stay on marked paths. Lady Elliot and Heron run tight visitor rules.
Is bleaching the whole story?
Heat stress is the background emergency. Zoning, anchors and trampling are the visitor-scale layer. See reef-etiquette.
Do visitors need a scuba card?
No for snorkel pontoons and many cay shallows. Outer walls and the Yongala are scuba products with weather limits.
Is this a live forecast?
No. GBRMPA, BoM and the operator hold the day sheet.