Off the coast of central Queensland, Australia, is a collection of 74 small islands called the Whitsunday Islands. The name was coined by the British navigator and explored Captain James Cook, the first European to sail through this region. The name Whitsunday is derived from the Christian feast day of Whitsun observed seven days after Easter.
Even though Cook first named the islands more than 200 years ago, it wasn’t until 1975 that a private pilot flying among the islands spotted a coral feature below the aquamarine water. It was a reef structure in the shape of an almost perfect heart. Since then, the image of the Heart Reef has become an internationally recognized landmark. It’s 17-meters wide across its largest dimension.
Heart Reef is part of the Great Barrier Reef and among sub-reef called Hardy Reef. For decades, scuba diving and snorkelling in and around the Heart Reef were considered among the world’s best. However, snorkelling, diving and scuba diving to see Heart Reef up close is banned today because this underwater structure is now listed as endangered.
The entire Great Barrier Reef is threatened by a combination of factors, including rising ocean temperatures due to climate change, ocean acidification, dredging and wastewater dumping by commercial industries on the coastal regions of Queensland.
Be warned that those looking for world-class scuba or snorkelling adventures will still find websites recommending Heart Reef as among the best dives in the world – but it’s essential to understand that if you go there today, you can’t dive, snorkel or scuba dive.
Other ways to enjoy Heart Reef are available. One of them is to take a ride on a charter plane that will fly you over Hardy Reef so you can see this enchanting underwater wonder from the air.
Another option is to take an excursion on the “Heart Island” pontoon. This is a sizeable glass-bottomed boat that affords an excellent up-close view of Heart Reef below. The pontoon can take parties of six people. The journey to Heart Reef is a 90-minute cruise.
To get to Heart Reef, an excellent way to go is via Shute Harbor and Airlie Beach, Queensland. These are both accessible by bus or car. One might also fly into Proserpine about a 30-minute drive from Airlie Beach – the latter is called “the Gateway to the Whitsunday Islands.
