Tag Archive for: Natalie Lobartolo

Discover Magical Lady Musgrave Island on The Southern Great Barrier Reef

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Imagine secluded white sandy beaches, stunning blue water and raw natural beauty that’s only a few hours drive from Brisbane… sounds too good to be true, right? That’s what we thought when we visited Lady Musgrave Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

“I would like to welcome you to your own David Attenborough documentary. This place is wild. It’s natural and it’s probably unlike anything else that you’ve ever seen before. There’s no construction and no inhabitants. It’s just nature at its absolute best.” That’s what our guide and Marine Biologist Natalie Lobartolo told us, as we stepped onto the sandy, coral-encrusted shores of the Island.

With no structures, it’s a wild paradise and its native inhabitants are so friendly, that you can get face to face with them – the Noddy Turns are the islands bird population, with 30,000 calling this place home.

“They nod at each other. So rather than the wink they go for the head nothing, it seems to work. The beauty of this being a protected area is that they know that we’re not a threat to them. We can get up really close.”

On return to the mothership, we’re guided over the stunning coral reef that is bursting with colour and wildlife – hard plate corals, fish, a shy blacktip reef shark and the occasional turtle making an appearance. All makes you appreciate what we’ve got in our own backyard… Not bad, for a just couple of hours from Brisbane.

The Lady Musgrave Island Experience departs from Bundaberg daily, tickets are available from their website. If you are looking for somewhere to stay, check out Zen Beach Retreat in Bargara.

What it’s Actually Like to be a Marine Biologist

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Reef Connect founder and Marine Biologist Natalie Lobartolo speaks to Stacey from Totally Wild about what it’s really like to be a Marine Biologist and what a typical day in Natalie’s life looks like.

At Reef Connect, we have made it our mission to inspire and educate young and old about the fascinating ocean world and how we can all do our part to protect it.

If you would like to get involved, have a look at our upcoming events, including holiday programs for kids, education programs for schools, community programs and more!

Why are Master Reef Guides so passionate about the Great Barrier Reef?

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A little while ago, I had the pleasure of joining Donna and Matt at 3CR to share my experience as a Master Reef Guide with Lady Musgrave Experience. We spoke about my experiences on the Great Barrier Reef and why I’m so passionate about marine conservation. Listen in to learn more about the importance of these guides, how they are influencing positive tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, and how you can get involved!

5 Real Life Lessons Coral Reefs Taught Me

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It may seem that the reef is far away, and not all of us are lucky enough to have it as a part of our daily lives (don’t we all wish!). As a Master Reef Guide, I am lucky to experience the beauty of the reef close up. Here are a few valuable life lessons the reef has taught me.

Lesson 1 – There’s so Much More to Life than Meets the Eye!

Whether you find yourself admiring the beauty of the reef in pictures, from the surface or the air, or even snorkelling or diving underwater, you’ll discover there is so much more than initially meets the eye. There are myriad of intricacies and detailed beauty you can only see by slowing down and taking a closer look.

Lesson 2 – Adaptation is the Key to Survival

As in our lives, survival on the reef is all about how able we are to adapt to a changing environment and circumstances. Change is inevitable, and it’s not the smartest or strongest that will survive, but the most adaptable to change.

Lesson 3 – Be Resilient

Climate Change, cyclones, poor water quality, overfishing and illegal fishing. The reef is faced with one challenge after another, and yet it has shown incredible resilience and an ability to bounce back after challenges. Plate corals can be flipped on their heads or sides, and by the next season there are new coral recruits settled and growing on the structure. They fall down, yet they just keep going and growing!

Lesson 4 – Respect Your Elders

Reefs are faced with numerous threats and challenges, yet have managed to survive 5 mass extinctions, repeated ice ages, the complete rearrangement of the tectonic plates, massive volcanic eruptions, AND the arrival of humans… so far! The oldest coral fossils date back to 535 million years ago. Corals have been around for much longer than we have, and we can learn a lot from them if only we take a moment to stop and listen to the stories they are telling us.

Lesson 5 – Plant Power is the Best Power!

Reefs are like underwater solar-powered megacities. By far the most underestimated building blocks of our ocean planet, and especially of our reefs, is plant life. The majority of life on earth (including in the oceans) is driven by sunlight taken up by plants through photosynthesis. The reef is no exception! Phytoplankton drift along in ocean currents, forming the basis of the marine food chain and producing the oxygen that supports life on earth. Teensy tiny algae called zooxanthellae live inside coral tissues, providing them with most of their energy, allowing them to build reef structures and support an abundance of creatures. What would life be without plant power?!