Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, created by federal act in 1975, covers about 344,400 km² of the world's largest coral reef system — nearly 3,000 individual reefs and hundreds of islands along Queensland's coast. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority manages it through one of the most sophisticated zoning schemes anywhere, expanded in 2004 so that roughly a third of the park is fully no-take. The park's rules shape every dive on the reef, from Cairns day boats and Ribbon Reef liveaboards to the Yongala's wreck mooring, and its permit and charge system funds reef management as the system contends with repeated mass bleaching.

The rules that bind divers

The park runs on zoning: green (no-take) zones ban all fishing and collecting, blue and yellow zones allow regulated fishing, and pink preservation zones exclude entry; every operator and private boat is responsible for knowing the zone it is in. Commercial dive and snorkel operations require GBRMPA permits, and passengers pay a daily Environmental Management Charge collected by the operator. Anchoring is restricted around reefs — public moorings and no-anchoring areas protect coral, and reef-protection markers apply. Touching or taking coral and giving chase to wildlife are prohibited, and special rules govern whales, turtle nesting islands, and historic wrecks such as the Yongala.

Fees & permits: Daily Environmental Management Charge per visitor on commercial trips, collected by operators and passed to GBRMPA; the rate is adjusted over time.