In pictures: 2021 Great Barrier Reef coral spawning
It’s happening! The annual coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef is underway.
The coral spawning event involves many colonies and species of coral polyps simultaneously releasing eggs and sperm bundles for external fertilisation.
The spectacle resembles an underwater snowstorm, with a flurry of buoyant gametes, usually pink or white, slowly drifting upwards in a real-life version of a shaken snow dome.
While there are a few indicators for the initiation of these synchronised spawning events, predicting it is a tricky game. You have to be in the right place at the right time.
The above images were captured at Point Break, located on the outer edge of Flynn Reef, 60km east of Cairns on an expedition funded by Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Tourism Australia.
