Marine Studies - Heron Island

Forty Marine Studies students have just returned from a extraordinary week of diving and exploring the reefs and ecosystems of Heron Island, near Gladstone. Each day started at 6 am, with all kids snorkeling out to the wreck to swim with an abundance of sharks, rays, turtles and a myriad of other amazing creatures and organisms.

After breakfast, we would then load up the boats and head out to the reef rim to see more of the incredible coral habitats found on the Great Barrier Reef. The students were blessed with good weather this year and we managed to use the dive boats nearly every afternoon as well. Keen students could also take up an optional wreck dive in the last hour of each day, with some kids getting 7 dives in per day!

Our nights were spent in the lab completing research tasks or taking a guided low tide reef walk. I am very proud of how this group behaved during this trip. They were polite, well behaved and as keen as mustard. I am also very grateful to our wonderful staff who worked very long hours to ensure that this expedition was safely and successfully conducted. David Attenborough has called this part of the world his favorite spot on Earth. If you ask any of our marine studies kids, they can tell you why.