
Word on the Reef
Diving into marine science adventures on the Great Barrier Reef and beyond!
Episodes
48 episodes
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S2 E32: Top 50 Dive Sites of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef
Think you know Australia’s best dive sites? Think again! Marine biologist and scuba legend Steve Sinclair has spent over five decades exploring every reef, wreck and cave from Tasmania to the Top End — and now he’s revealing the Top 5...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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44:31

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S2 E31: Art Meets Ocean: How Creativity, Science & Community Are Protecting the Great Barrier Reef
What do underwater art museums, bomb tests, and citizen science have in common? They're all part of the story of the Great Barrier Reef’s past, present—and possible future.Our guest this week is Dr. Adam Smith—freediver, marine biologist...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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47:11
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S2 E30: Seeing Green: Divers Investigate South Australia's Algal Bloom Disaster
Today we're traveling back to South Australia for an update on the devastating toxic algal bloom that's been unfolding there over the last seven months, and what it it's been like for the divers who know and love these waters.Marine Biol...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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42:18

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S2 E29: Caring for Yirrganydji Sea Country on the Great Barrier Reef with Gavin Singleton
First Nations people have been caring for land and sea along the Great Barrier Reef Coast for thousands of years. In this powerful interview, Traditional Owner Gavin Singleton explains the enduring connection First Nations people have with the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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38:19

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S2 E28: Corals' Last Stand: The Fight to Save Scott Reef
💸 WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 Septe...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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42:39
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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 rubble fields where baby corals struggle to gro...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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41:17

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S2 E26: Restoring Seagrass on the Great Barrier Reef with Dr Tim Smith
💸 WIN $100! Fill out our Word on the Reef Listener Survey before 30 September 20...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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39:36

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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 e...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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43:09

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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...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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40:13
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S2 E23: Swimming Against the Current: Overcoming Fear, Failure, and Neurodivergence to Become a Global Shark Advocate
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 inspiring episode, Aliah shares her mission...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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43:04

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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 reef, next minute they’ve decided they need a t...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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40:50

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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 identified the Reef’s first known whale shark agg...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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40:59

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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...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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40:57

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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 kilometres up the Great Barrier Reef — from ...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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43:33

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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 without anyone batting a fin. What a world!
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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38:23

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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, and things were heading downhill fast. Then ...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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44:15
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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 misunderstood predators. Now an Emm...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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48:12

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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 we dive into the incredible world of ...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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44:52

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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 threats to the Great Barrier Reef: declining w...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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43:08

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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 our environment, and most of it comes from ou...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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43:19
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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 underwater graveyards and leaving locals traumatis...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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57:21

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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 or even live anywhere near the ocean to make a...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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1:01:53
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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 beginning?Join us as we play trash detective w...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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41:39

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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 coral bleaching to the devastation of extr...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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41:41

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S2 E8: Hot Water and Hot Air: Which Political Parties Have the Best Policies to Protect the Great Barrier Reef?
In this special Election Edition of Word on the Reef, Tanya Murphy and Brett Goodban dive into one of the most critical questions facing Australians ahead of the Federal Election: Who has the best plan to save the Great Barri...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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39:57
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