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Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef Album

Great Barrier Reef Album

Cardinalfish on Great Barrier Reef

Cardinalfish on the Great Barrier Reef

Yellowfin Goatfish and and Bluestripe Snappers swim within Acropora coral.

Diver (Anderson Mayfield) swims over Staghorn (Acropora) coral.

Soft Corals of Ribbon Reefs

Soft Corals of Ribbon Reefs

Soft Corals of Ribbon Reefs

Soft Corals of Ribbon Reefs

Soft Corals of Ribbon Reefs

Soft Corals of Ribbon Reefs

$Clark\'s Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) with its host Sticky Anemone (Stichodactyla sp.).$

Top of coral bommie in the lagoon covered with branching and table Acorpora corals.

$Detail of the \"fuzzy\" surface of the Goniopora coral.$

Large colony of Goniopora coral notable for having its long extended polyps out during the daytime.

Reef scene with large brain coral (Platygyra sp.) and smaller Acorpora and Pocillopora corals (Tridacna clam in foreground).

Top of coral bommie in the lagoon covered with branching and table Acorpora corals.

Large bulbous solitart tunicate (Polycarpa autata).

Large thicket of Acopora coral on the reef.

Mushroom (Fungus) Coral, a large solitary polyp that is unattached to the substrate and mobile.

Orange cryptic seafan (Siphonogorgia sp.) in the underhang of a reef.

Pink crustose coralline algae (CCA) provides excellent substrate for coral recruits.

School of Spotted Unicornfish (Naso brevirostris) cruise by a wall on the reef.

Scissortail Sergeant (Abudef sexfasciatus) damselfishes living among the Goniopora coral.

Smooth Giant Clam (Tridacna derasa).

School of Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) under the breaking surf on the reef crest.

The other boat came upon this dolphin pod during their research.

Olive Sea Snake (Aipysurus laevis) have flattened bodies and tails which allow them to swim effortlessly underwater.

Olive Sea Snake (Aipysurus laevis) hunting for small fishes on the reef.

Spaghetti Worm (Loimia medusa) extends its sticky tentacles from it crevice home to search for organic matter to eat.

A small (1 meter) Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) cruises over the shallow top of a coral bommie.

Reef crest with smaller acroporid corals and splashes of bright red from an encrusting sponge.

Colorful flatworm (Pseudobiceros sp.) crawling over Porites coralhead.

Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) peeks out from under a tabletop Acropora coral.

Humbug Dascyllus (Dascyllus aruanus) hiding in an acroporid coral.

Feather Star or Crinoid (Comantheris sp.) perches on a small coral where it extends it many arms to feed on plankton.

Juvenile Blackbar Damselfish (Plectroglyphidodon dickii) in acroporid coral.

Pacific Half-and-half Chromis (Chromis iomelas) in acroporid coral.

School of Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) passes over the reef and heads down a sloping dropoff.

Tiny nudibranch (likely Flabellina exoptata).

Baramundi (Cromileptes altivelis) hiding under an overhang.

Blackspotted Sea Cucumber (Bohadschia graeffei) sweeps the reef with its black oral tentacles searching for food.

Small colonial tunicates (Atriolum robustum) covering the branches of a dead branching acroporid coral.

Lyre-shaped Ctenocella octocoral.

Giant clam (Tridacna sp.)

Goldbarred Butterflyfish (Chaetodon rainfordi) a bright splash of color on the reef.

$Giant Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus albovittatus) showing the thick lips which are the source of the family\'s common name.$

Gregarious Giant Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus albovittatus).

Gregarious Giant Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus albovittatus).

Sheets of Sinularia soft coral covers the reef crest.

Surveyor Samantha Clements peforming a benthic transect.

$Triton\'s Trumpet (Charonia tritonis) is the main predator of Crown Of Thorns Seastars.$

False Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their host Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica).

Close-up of False Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris).

Closeup of the polyps from a Goniopora coral.

Orange sea fan (Subergorgia sp.) and red sea whips.

Painted Crayfish (Panulirus versicolor) looks out from its hiding spot.

Large (> 1m diameter) red sea fan (family Melithaeidae).

White-spotted Puffer (Arothron hispidus).

Golden Shadow at sunset.

Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos) in host anemone,

Coeloseris mayori coral.

Colorful mantle of giant clam (Tridacna sp.)

Flowery polyps of the alcyoniarian soft coral Tubipora musica.

Goniopora coral with polyps extended and retracted.

Leopard Coral Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus).

Many-spotted Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodontoides).

Pectinia paeonia coral.

Porites cylindrica with Black-axil Chromis (Chromis atripectoralis).

Sapsucking slug (Thuridilla sp.)

Abby Cannon surveying corals.

Seafan with Reticulated Dascyllus damselfishes.

Small Spotted Blenny ( ) hiding in Pectinia alcicornis.

Soft coral with polyps extended (likely Sinularia sp.).

Steephead Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos) along with a grouper, damselfishes, and surgeonfishes.

Crown of Thorns Seastar eating Platygyra coral.

Gray Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) in open water.

School of fusiliers cruising by the reef crest.

Brett Taylor with stereo camera searches for sharks while a remora looks for a place to attach.

Sunset over the Great Barrier Reef at the end of a long survey day.

Twilight time on the M/V Golden Shadow.

A colorful assortment of acroporid and pocilloporid corals cover the shallow reef crest.

Digitate Acropora monticulosa close-up showing individual polyps forming geometric designs.

Male (smaller & bright red) and female (larger & more dusky red) Spinecheek Anemonefish (Premnas biaculeatus) in their Bulb Tentacle Sea Anemone (Enacmaea quadricolor) host.

Shallow reef crest (3 meter depth) covered with Acropora and Pocillopora corals.

Silvery Snubnose Pompano (Trachinotus blochi) swimming over a school of Diagonal-banded Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus lineatus).

Ahhh... Sunrise!

Oooo... Sunset!

Blotchfin Scorpionfish (Scorpaenodes varipinnis)

Humpnose Unicornfish (Naso tonganus)

Pink Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) in Magnificent Anemone--how it looks to the camera.

Pink Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) in Magnificent Anemone--how it looks to the naked eye underwater.

A pyrosome (free-floating mass of colonial tunicates) along with Blue and Yellow Fusiliers (Caesio teres)

Symphillia coral detail.

Two-spot Snapper (Lutjanus biguttatus)

Two-spot Snapper (Lutjanus biguttatus)

Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus)

Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) getting in the way of science.

Blue-spotted Stingray (Dasyatis kuhlii).

Fuchsia Flatworm (Pseudoceros ferrugineus).

Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus).

Golden Spadefish (Platax boersii) juvenile.

School of Striped Catfish (Plotosus lineatus).

Slender Lizardfish (Saurida gracilis) perched on rubbery Sinularia soft coral.

Deepwater seafan and dark green Tubastrea micrantha coral.

Pom-pom coral (Euphyllia glabrescens).

Pulsing flower-like polyps of the Xenia soft coral.

Tall coral pinnacle capped with a Porites lobata rises out of the dusky gloom.

Enormous giant clam (Tridacna sp.) approximately 1 meter across and possibly up to 100 years old.

Orange-banded Coralfish (Coradion chrysozonus)

Scribbled Angelfish (Chaetodontoplus duboulayi) a striking species we have not encountered before during the Global Reef Expedition.

Undescribed species of sea cucumber (Stichopus sp.) with interesting striped pattern and upolstered texture.

Small brown speckled ray that so far has remained unidentified.

Crown-of-thorns Seastar hiding under coral with evidence of recent feeding on the white coral skeleton

$Dendronephthya soft coral (\"psychedelic broccoli\").$

Fresh (hollow) molt of the exoskeleton of a Painted Crayfish (Panulirus ornatus).

Andy Bruckner and Alex Dempsey processing Crown-of-thorns Seastars.

Close-up of blue-tipped Acropora colony.

Crinoids nestling in Pavona coral.

Fire coral makes doing transects difficult.

Fluorescent bright red Lobophyllia.

Fungia and Pectinia and a variety of other coral genera.

Goniastrea being overgrown by red algae.

Green urn tunicates and fuzzy cyanobacteria growing on branching Acropora colony.

Humbug Dascyllus on Stylophora coral.

Mushroom coral are mobile but cannot outrun a Crown-of-thorns Seastar.

Red algae clump on Diploastrea coral.

Sarcophyton leather coral within stand of Porites finger coral.

Small Acropora growing on top of a Porites lobata coral.

Sunset over table lands.

Tan sea fan.

Anemonefish in host Adhesive Anemone (Stichodactyla sp.).

Watching a beautiful sunset from onboard the Shadow.

Crown-of-thorns climbing up columnar Porites coral.

The dive boat Calcutta parked on its trolly on the aft deck of the Shadow.

False Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in its host Magnificent Anemone

$Giant clam profile showing the many thousands of tiny \"eye spots\" (primitive light sensing organs).$

Grace Frank during a survey dive.

Longfin Spadefish (Platax teira) swimming in the opposite direction as a coral reef surveyor.

Panoramic view of the foredeck of the Shadow at dusk.

Phil Renaud and Katie Lubarsky onboard the Calcutta dive boat.

Recovering the Calcutta on the elevator deck of the Shadow at the end of a long day.

$\"Yogi\" Freund shooting Phyllidia nudibranch.$ $Photographer Jürgen \"Yogi\" Freund hunting for photographic subjects.$

Blue and Yellow Fusilier (Caesio teres)

Field of Turbinaria coral

Giant clams (Tridacna gigas)

Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis)

Gray Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) in silhouette.

$Jürgen \"Yogi\" Freund$

Longfin Spadefish (Platax teira)

Brett Taylor driving the stereo-cam which is used to estimate the length of sharks.

Snubnose Pompano (Trachinotus blochi)

$Turbinaria \"rosette\"$

Whitetip Reef Shark (Trianodon obesus)

Assortment of color variations of Acropora table corals.

Bluespotted Grouper (Cephalopholis cyanostigma)

Bluespotted Puffer (Arothron caeruleopunctatus).

Chromodoris lochi nudibranch

Close-up of Montipora coral showing small blue polyps.

Close-up of Pachyseris coral with odd growth anomalies.

Cloud of damselfishes over digitate Porites and bottlebrush Acropora.

Dendronephthya soft coral collapsed since the current is not running (inflates with water to filter in the current).

Fusiliers and unicornfish in the open water over the reef.

Humpnose Unicornfish (Naso tonganus)

Oulophyllia coral showing polyps nestled between adjoining walls.

Porites cylindrica in the foreground and Porites lobata in the background with damselfish hovering.

Sarcophyton leather coral polyp detail.

School of Bluestreak Fusilier (Pterocaesio tile)

Grace Frank taking photos on the reef.

Slender Roboastra (Roboastra gracilis) nudibranch.

Whirls of Montipora coral.

Black and orange flatform crawls over leather coral.

Broadclub Cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus).

$Feather stars (crinoids) that have attached to Samantha\'s quadrat and survey line.$

Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) being cleaned by Blackspot Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides pectoralis).

Surveying coral reefs along a steep wall.

Acropora closeup.

Angelfish.

Diagonal-striped sweetlips.

Giant sweetlips.

Gorgonian.

Happy Birthday Brett Taylor!

Nudibranch.

Reef Lobster

Sea slug.

Silver algae ball.

Silver sweetlips.

Yellow-tailed fusiliers.

Acropora coral assortment with White-belly Damsel.

Blue Montipora and yellow Porites plating corals.

Bohadschia sea cucumber.

Clumps of red algae.

Grace Frank, Jurgen Freund, and Bar Ayalon

Dive Safety Officer Jonathan Barnes

$Diver\'s eye view at the end of a dive.$

Favia coral

Golden-striped Butterflyfish (Chaetodon aureofasciatus)

Goniopora coral.

Jurgen Yogi Freund

Longfin Spadefish (Platax teira)

Lumpy white sponge

Pineapple Sea Cucumber (Thelenota ananas)

Racing Stripe Flatworm (Pseudoceros bifurcatus)

Seafan

Sky Blue Phyllidia (Phyllidia coelestis) nudibranch

Table Acroporas on a shallow reef ridge.

Urn tunicate (Didemnum molle)

Variety of branching and table Acroporas and Pocilloporas.

Reef scenic showing some large table Acroporas and bushy Pocilloporas.

Crown-of-thorns Seastar eating soft coral.

Abstract of giant clam mantle showing eye-spots along edge.

Abstract of giant clam mantle.

Giant clam siphon

Giant clam (Tridacna gigas)

Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis)

Large red seafan deep on the reef

Ken Marks with his PVC square after completing coral photo transects.

Surface detail of a Crown-of-thorns Seastar showing the sharp toxic spines.

Tips of a branching Acorpora coral.

Triplespot Blenny (Crossosalarias macrospilus)

Yellowtail Damsel (Neoglyphidodon nigricans)

Acropora meadow.

Beautiful acropora garden.

Beautiful Jewel Reef.

Coral spire.

Coral variety.

Coral variety at Jewel Reef.

More coral variety.

Hicks Reef.

High coral diversity.

Jewel Reef at 6-7 meters.

Jewel Reef

Monster giant clam.

Reef scene of Jewel Reef.

Rugged reef.

School of jacks.

Boring Giant Clams (Tridacna crocea) embedded into a large coral (dead) head.

Various damselfishes and fusiliers hovering over a large thicket of Millepora (fire coral).

Halgerda batangas nudibranch.

Hammer/Anchor Coral (Euphyllia ancora) named for the tentacles which are hammer or anchor shaped.

Large mounds of Porites lobata and round thickets of Porites cylindrica in the shallows at one of our survey sites.

Leopard shark (Stegostoma fasciatum).

Meter long Tridacna gigas giant clam showing gills inside incurrent siphon.

Red-gilled Nembrotha (Nembrotha purpureolineata) nudibranch.

Risbecia tryoni nudibranch

Unidentified oddity is either a mass of tiny blue eggs or some sort of colonial tunicate.

Chromodoris coi nudibranch.

Colorful reef scene along a sloping drop-off.

$Olive Sea Snake (Aipysurus laevis) investigating Konrad Hughen\'s transect while he works.$

Pseudoceros dimidiatus, a highly variable and beautiful flatworm.

Echinophyllia coral showing bright orange polyp mouths.

Blue Coral (Heliopora coerulea), the only octocoral known to produce a limestone skeleton (which is blue instead of the normal white).

False Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

Female Spinecheek Anemonefish (Premnas biaculeatus) in host Bulb-tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor).

Fluorescent orange Lobophyllia coral polyp.

Fluorescent red Lobophyllia coral with dead polyp covered by a corallimorph.

Leopard Coral Grouper (Plectopomus leopardus)

Longfin Spadefish (Platax teira)

Undescribed (Paguritta sp.) coral hermit crab residing in burrow in live coral.

Lovely red table Acropora millepora coral.

Sponge and corallimorphs covering dead area of Porites lobata.

Taringa halgerda dorid nudibranch.

$A yellow boring sponge sends up \"fingers\" from inside a tunneled-out coral head.$

Beautiful Goby (Exyrias bellisimus)

Brilliant Headshield Slug (Chelidonura electra)

Crocodile Flathead (Cymbacephalus beauforti)

Geometric texture of Goniopora coral polyps.

Large colony of compound tunicates.

Ridges and grooves of Pachyseris coral.

Ruffled rosettes of Turbinaria corals.

Tawny Nurse Shark (Nebrinus ferrugineus)

Blue-spotted Ribbontail Ray (Taeniura lymma)

Multi-lined Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus multivittatum)

Small black and yellow spotted flatworm swimming through the water column like a magic carpet.

Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus ocellatus)

Zebra Shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)

Candycane Sea Cucumber (Thelonota rubralineata)

Phyllidia calsonhoffi nudibranch

Silvertip Shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus)

Table acroporid, large polyp Lobophyllia and other corals growing near the surface of a sloping drop-off.

Table acroporid which fell and is now putting out reoriented growth perpindicular to the original plane.

Brightly colored sea fans growing perpendicular to the usual flow of current to facilitate filter feeding.

Fish survey team of Badi Samaniego and Valeriya Komyakova.

Geometric pattern of Favia coral polyps.

$Hancock\'s Flatworm (Pseudobiceros hancockanus)$

Large Dendronephthya soft coral pumped full of water to extend polyps allowing it to feed in the current.

Large multi-tiered colony of branching Acropora coral.

Abby Cannon catching 40 winks on the aft deck of the Shadow while waiting to load the dive boats for our morning dives.

$\"Artist\'s pallete\" of colorful corals.$

Blenny peeking out from inside its tube home in a coral.

Button Coral (Cynarina lacrymalis)

Close-up of the tentacles of a Euphyllia coral.

Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)

Gloomy Tambja (Tamja morosa) nudibranch

Many-spotted Sweetlip (Plectorhinchus chaetodontoides) juvenile.

Miracle Triplefin (Enneapterygius mirabilis)

Colorful and brightly marked Netted Ceratosoma (Ceratosoma sinuatum) nudibranch.

Pseudotentacles of the Fingerprint Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sinuosa).

Shallow water reefscape with many colors of branching and table acroporids.

Silver Sweetlips (Diagramma pictum)

$Turban Shell (Turbo sp.) with \"sea eye\" calcified operculum cover.$

Very large Annella reticulata pink sea fan.

Cascading plates of Leptoseris coral.

Overlapping shingles of Pachyseris coral.

Reticulata halgerda nudibranch.

Anderson Mayfield photographing the abundance of corals in the shallows.

Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis sp.)

Shallow water reef top covered in various colors of table and branching thickets of Acropora coral.

Large colony of Tubastrea micrantha.

Cluster of corals in the shallows including upright pillars of Isopora.

Cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii)

Pair of Bigeye Trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) in front of large school of snappers.

Red variation of Steephead Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos).

Badi Samaniego looking over his notes on the way back to the dive boat.

Blackfin Barracuda (Sphyraena qenie) with interesting black and white markings on tail.

Bright fluorescent red Acropora millepora coral.

Fluted Giant Clam (Tridacna squamosa)

Gray Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) making a close pass to investigate the divers.

Gray Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) eyeing the benthic transect line along the sloping reef.

Large spherical Platygyra coral.

A Pocillopora eydouxi coral with some bright blue Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus).

Tiny Striped Coral Hermit Crab (Paguritta vittata) under the transect line.

Close-up of Chinamanfish (Symphorus nematophorus).

Large school of Chinamanfish (Symphorus nematophorus) that came to check us out during our dive.

Large stack of Porites rus coral in the shallows.

Orange-finned Anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus) in Adhesive Anemone (Stichodactyla mertensii).

Survey divers returning on the Leisure Cat at the end of the day.

Blue Velvet Headshield Slug (Chelidonura varians).

Bushy thickets of Acropora corals in the shallows.

Colorful Acanthastrea coral showing interesting fluorescent patterns.

Coral scene featuring a large Euphyllia coral head.

Colony of Euphyllia.

Large plating colony of Porites rus detail.

Field of bottlebrush type Acropora corals.

Fluted Giant Clam (Tridacna squamosa) nestled among corals.

Giant clam framed by a dense cover of live corals.

Group of Steephead Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos) and surgeonfishes cruising by drop-off.

Large plating colony of Porites rus

Overlapping plates of Peyssonnelia algae with red crustose coralline algae.

$Overlapping \"shingles\" formed by table acroporid corals.$

Scenic landscape of a healthy reef.

Grace Frank, Kirsty Nash and Samantha Clements in an underwater selfie.

Sloping dropoff with a healthy amount of coral cover.

Steephead Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos).

Pink Anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) on a closed-up Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica).

Looking down a steep drop-off with a swarm of damselfish, fusiliers and anthias.

Two species of plating Montipora corals curling up together.

Whitespotted Grouper (Epinephelus caeruleopunctatus) being visited by a cleaner wrasse.

End of the dive, end of the day--waiting to be picked-up by the dive boat.

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Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of living oceans and pledges to champion their preservation through research, education and a commitment to Science Without Borders.^®

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