Wavelength is involved in a number of Conservation Efforts

We firmly believe that we must protect this incredible natural wonder so that future generations can experience and benefit from the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef as we do today. Some of the conservation efforts that we are currently involved with include:

Eye on the Reef

A partnership program between the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Great Barrier Reef tourism industry is used to facilitate information exchange on monitoring the health of the Reef.

Standardised biological information is collected at frequently visited sites across the reef. This data is collected weekly and then analysed and reported back to industry staff and the reef research community. We collect and record information on reef health indicators, protected and iconic species and any emerging issues as observed by crew. It currently involves 36 operators in Port Douglas, Cairns and the Whitsundays.

Eye on the Reef is one of the largest monitoring program of its kind in the world. There are opportunities for you to get involved and help with monitoring. If you’d like to find out more information about this program, you can visit the Eye on the Reef website.

Research

Wavelength is owned by local marine biologists and virtually all the crew are marine biologists, so naturally we strongly believe in a partnership between ecotourism and science. Our main interests are coral health and the adaptive capability of coral to cope with warming waters, whilst we hope for stronger climate policies. Wavelength operates the largest research coral nursery on the Great Barrier Reef with the scientific guidance of UTS. We have assisted in varied research projects by providing reef access to researchers.

Sea Turtle Foundation

We are big supporters of the Sea Turtle Foundation. It’s a non profit, non government group working to protect and conserve sea turtles through research, education and awareness. As part of our efforts, we collect donations and sell merchandise and the proceeds from our last fundraising efforts was able to be used to acquire a specialised large turtle stretcher for rescue and release operations. To learn more about this important foundation, visit the Sea Turtle Foundation website.

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Minke Whale Project

During whale season we are involved in the Minke Whale Project where we record various information about whale sightings including GPS readings, markings, behaviour and other interactions. We also take photos and if we get suitable photos of tails and scars we send them in to help identify individuals and also work out a timeline for the healing of animals. This information is collected to look at populations and movements of whales.

Australian Marine Conservation Society

We promote the Australian Marine Conservation Society including the display of their regular magazine called “turning tides”. We get regular updates from them including various petitions to help the overall well being of the reef. More information on AMCS can be found at the AMCS website.

Tangaroa Blue

Some of our crew volunteer with Tangaroa blue, where they do beach clean ups on various beaches around Australia. When the beach clean up efforts are located in Far North Queensland, the crew pitch in and help clean up our beaches. More information on the clean up efforts can be found at the Tangaroa Blue website.

Jozii and Kesho

Most of the worlds coral reefs are in poorer countries and very vulnerable to over-exploitation. Poverty plus a lack of education and work opportunities means coastal communities are often forced into overfishing inshore reefs, catching and eating juvenille fish until there’s nothing left. Destructive practices like dynamite fishing and indiscriminate seine netting can continue through a combination of desperation and ignorance of the impacts. The best solutions are education and development of alternative income sources.

In the past 7 years we’ve been importing and selling bags, sandals, belts and dog collars, all hand-made from beaded leather at a craft workshop in a small coastal township in Kenya. The work helps create alternative employment, especially for women, and the money raised goes to an organisation called Kesho Kenya that helps children from extremely poor backgrounds go to school, and in some cases go on to higher education. Please check out their website as they do amazing work.

This is just a small project but the cycle of partnership, fair trade, employment opportunities and education has benefits on many levels, and if it’s possible to expand to other areas it can help people, and as an aside help encourage recovery of their inshore reefs as a sustainable resource.

Our Locations

• Opal Reef
• St Crispin Reef
• Tongue Reef