#1  Reef HQ                                                       

What about starting your visit with the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium? Reef HQ has an exhibit with 2.5 million L and a real coral reef with all its fish swimming around! I say hello to the leopard sharks, green sea turtles and other colorful creatures. I like the infrastructures, their commitment for the environment (solar panels, breeding and protection programs). The visit is really pleasant and you discover so much about marine wildlife.

They’ve also got a turtle hospital, where sick and injured marine turtles are cared for until they are able to be released into the sea. I learn about the 6 species found in the Great Barrier Reef (6 on the 7 world marine turtles live in the GBR!). I get up close with Leroy, a little Flatback turtle, which was found a few months ago suffering from floating syndrome. The caretaker explains to me what threatens the turtles in the wild: fishing lines, hooks and nets…but also boat strikes and plastic bags… in marine national parks, the zoning system helps them to be safe by limiting boat speed, forbidding fishing for example.

If you too, you want to save the turtles, many organisms exist today, like SeaTurtle Foundation or also Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, check them on Facebook.