Word on the Reef
Diving into marine science adventures on the Great Barrier Reef and beyond!
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 39 minutes
- Episodes
- 43
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
S2 E27: Stronger Storms, Stronger Solutions: Saving Coral After Cyclones
Cyclones are part of life in the tropics, but climate change is making them stronger and more destructive. On the Great Barrier Reef, their force can pulverise thriving coral gardens into unstable ru…
S2 E26: Restoring Seagrass on the Great Barrier Reef with Dr Tim Smith
đź’¸ WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 September 2025 to go in the draw.
🌱 Seagrass meadows are the unsung heroes of the Great Barrier Reef – nurseries for fish, food for …
S2 E25: Just Say Yes: Why You Should Volunteer with Reef Check on the Great Barrier Reef
Ever dreamed of exploring the Great Barrier Reef for free—while making a real difference? With Reef Check Australia, volunteers can join survey dives and help clean up marine debris, all while experi…
S2 E24: Not Just a Pretty Shell: The Beautiful and Terrifying Molluscs of the Great Barrier Reef
What has no arms, no legs, and no brain, but can flash like a disco light, help control pests and kill you in minutes? Queensland Museum's mollusc expert Darryl Potter has spent three decades fearles…
S2 E23: All the Sharks: Aliah Banchik's Journey Through Neurodivergence to Shark Science Stardom
Growing up with ADHD and Dyslexia, Aliah Banchik never thought she could achieve calm focus, let alone become a successful scientist, artist and Netflix star. Then she discovered sharks.
In this inspi…
S2 E22: Dammed if you Don't: Saving Fish from Migration Mayhem
Did you know some of our marine fish are living DOUBLE LIVES? That’s right, they want the best of both worlds, saltwater and freshwater. So one minute they’re living the dream on a beautiful coral re…
S2 E21: SPOTTED: The Great Barrier Reef's first known Whale Shark Aggregation Site
Whale sharks—harmless, majestic giants—have long been mystery visitors on the Great Barrier Reef, their movements shrouded in secrecy... until now. In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have iden…
S2 E20 Everything Kirsty Webeck Needs to Say About Sea Creatures
Australian comedian Kirsty Webeck loves sea creatures. She's learned a lot about them through her lifelong passion for snorkelling - and now she's here to share what the sperm whales don't want you t…
S2 E19: Modern Day Castaway: A Gruelling 50 Days Alone on the Reef
Meet Mike Atkinson — former military pilot turned solo adventurer, survival expert, and filmmaker. In one of the boldest voyages ever attempted, Mike hand-carved a dugout canoe and sailed it 1,500 ki…
Bonus Episode: How to Swim with Whales, Manta Rays and Sharks on the Great Barrier Reef
Whale and manta ray season has arrived on the Great Barrier Reef - and so have the awe-inspiring encounters! Divers and snorkellers are reporting unforgettable moments with these gentle giants, and i…
S2 E18: Sex Under the Sea: The Weird World of Marine Reproduction
Welcome to the ocean -- where your genitals are on your face, males give birth, and gender is more of a suggestion than a rule. You can snooze in a bubble of your own vomit or switch sexes overnight …
S2 E17: Trawl Wars: The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park vs. The Fishing Industry
The 1990s was a wild west era for fishing on the Great Barrier Reef. Even after being declared a Marine Park and a World Heritage area, more than 95% of the Great Barrier Reef was still being fished,…
S2 E16: Shark Tracker: The Wild Life of Richard Fitzpatrick
Richard Fitzpatrick wants to change the way you think about sharks.
Ever since he kept a pet shark as a kid, Richard has made it his life’s mission to rewrite the story of one of the ocean’s most misu…
S2 E15: Save the Reef from your Sofa: Citizen Science with Nicole Senn
Did you know you can help with coral research on the Great Barrier Reef without even leaving your couch? On this week's episode of Word on the Reef, get ready to swipe right on high-value corals as w…
S2 E14: Tree-mendous Impacts: How Forests Help Save Coral Reefs
Did you know that deforestation up to 1,000 kilometres inland can harm coral reefs and potentially fuel outbreaks of coral-eating starfish? This week we explore one of the lesser-known but critical t…
S2 E13: Undercover Investigation: The Supermarket Plastics Trashing our Oceans
Did you know Aussies are among the worst plastic polluters on the planet - second only to Singapore for our use of single-use plastic packaging? Every year, 145,000 tonnes of plastic waste leak into …
S2 E12: Toxic Tide: South Australia's Deadly Algal Bloom Disaster
In South Australia, a toxic algal bloom has resulted in more than 12,000 marine animals from nearly 450 different species washing up dead on local beaches, turning once-thriving ecosystems into under…
S2 E11: How to Save the Ocean: Taking Meaningful Action on Climate Change
Climate Change is the biggest threat to coral reefs worldwide, causing unprecedented coral bleaching events. But there are things we can all do to help - and you don't need to be a marine biologist o…
S2 E10: Trash Talk: Inside the Marine Debris Crisis on the Great Barrier Reef – and What You Can Do
This week we head to the remote beaches of the Great Barrier Reef—where plastic pollution is piling up faster than we can clean it. But is picking up rubbish really the solution? Or just the beginnin…
S2 E9: Catching Air, Calling for Action: A Tour Operator's Plea to Save the Great Barrier Reef
Brett Wright has spent the past 30 years taking visitors to the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas with his tour company Windswell Adventures—and he's seen the changes up close. From worsening cora…