Great Barrier Reef Coral Spawning 2010

I am most pleased to report that as we suggested, the Great Barrier Reef 2010 coral spawning took place between 25 – 27 November. For those lucky enough to have been there, the waters were calm and the nights were magical, as thousands of different Great Barrier Reef corals released their eggs into the water.

Referred to as ‘sex on the reef‘ the Great Barrier Reef’s mass coral spawning occurs annually. Predicting timing can be difficult and depends on a few factors.

1. Water temperature. To trigger coral spawning the water temperature needs to be around 27 degrees Celsius, which is achieved during spring in Tropical North Queensland (September – December).
2. Moon cycle. The Great Barrier Reef times its sexual reproduction around the cycle of the moon: nothing to do with romance, everything to do with the tides. To ensure maximum fertilisation there needs to be minimal tidal movement. Therefore, coral spawning generally occurs four to five days after the full moon in October or November, sometimes even December.
   
3. At night. The coral spawning always occurs at night, so you need to be on a Cairns live aboard dive tour to catch this amazing, annual event.

We hope those lucky enough to be there enjoyed this amazing natural event. We will update this website with dates again next year, to help you plan your Great Barrier Reef 2011 coral spawning visit.