Each year the coral spawns in a mass party on the reef, with many colonies and species of coral polyps simultaneously releasing egg 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. It also creates a flurry of activity on the reef with all the fish and other reef animals coming out of their normal crevices to feed.
Predicting when spawning is going to occur is not an exact science as there are several environmental factors that must all combine to make conditions right for spawning. The ocean temperature needs to be 26 degrees celcius or above for the month before for the gametes to mature. Secondly, they will generally reproduce 4 to 6 nights after the full moon in November or December when there is little tidal movement. Thirdly, it will generally be about 2-3 hours after the sun sets when most of the plankton feeders will be asleep, giving the eggs more time to settle to the relative safety of the reef.
In 2014, the coral at our Hardy Reef pontoon spawned on or around the 14th November.
Cruise Whitsundays Reefsleep guests get to sleep overnight on the Reefworld pontoon, 50 miles from land but directly over the Great Barrier Reef and if you happen to be there during the spawning you’ll have an up close and personal experience of the spectacular event – as well as having the amazing experience of a night under the stars and on the reef. Reefsleep guests can even do a night scuba dive to really get involved with the spawning.
But the only problem is – when will you book to make sure you don’t miss it?! We advise booking early as Reefsleep has a limited number of guests per night and the coral spawning is a popular event. Full moons for 2015 are: 27 October; 26 November; 25 December.
Cruise Whitsundays Contact
If calling from overseas: +61 7 4846 7000If calling from Australia: 07 4846 7000
Email: info@cruisewhitsundays.com
Website: http://www.cruisewhitsundays.com/
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