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21/10/2004: "Wall-to-wall coral reef .........under the surf zone."

Hard-packed corals withstand surf and strong currents on the 'weather-side' of this northern reef. Few people get to swim over territory like this due to strong currents, waves and other hazards. This is the last frontier of coral reefs, and this one is far offshore from agricultural run-offs, (silt and fertilisers) and that potentially greatest danger of all..... crowds of curious humans, kicking, touching, breaking, collecting, spearing, spoiling.

We've all done it. In a continuous large group of coral loving visitors, the damage occurs faster than the recovery. No one is innocent when you visit a reef. TV environmentalist David Bellamy has said: "wait until 10% of the Asian population falls in love with coral reefs". (Thats about 100 million tourists)
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