Episode 2

Witness the explosion of life on the reef as the wet season approaches: corals spawn, sea birds nest and thousands of turtle hatchlings erupt over the beaches. Soon torrential rain and storms will bring change and upheaval to the delicate ecosystem.

Hear the story of Wally, the sex-changing (protogynous hermaphrodite) maori wrasse.

View a collection of predator moments from Life on the Reef.

View the sharks that live around Osprey Reef in Australia.

Out at sea a perfect confluence of temperatures, tides and currents are about to trigger the biggest marine event of the year. The reef is being primed for reproduction.

All at once, billions of coral polyps for hundreds of miles release their egg and sperm into the ocean during the annual coral spawn. As the fireworks begin, the water column fills with what looks like an upside down snowstorm. This mass synchronized event is unlike any known elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Yet as big as it is, there’s also beauty in the detail.

Take to the skies to see the Great Barrier Reef from a new perspective.