Concerns for health of Ningaloo Reef swirl post-cyclone, State Government provides coral enhancement funding

In the aftermath of cyclone Narelle, experts are worried about the potential long-term damage to the iconic Ningaloo Reef and its wildlife.

After the destruction to Exmouth caused by the category-four weather system, hundreds of injured and deceased wildlife were found along the coastline.

Worries about the health of the reef were widespread across the community, especially across local charter operators and divers.

Much to her surprise, local photographer Lauren Gourgas described the reef to be “alive and buzzing” on her first return after the cyclone.

“We went for our first snorkel since the park reopened, and honestly, I was blown away,” she said.

“The visibility was stunning, and seeing the reef sharks at the cleaning station and turtles tucked into the soft coral felt like a huge weight off my shoulders.

“There are definitely areas where the coral has taken a hit, but the sheer amount of life we saw was incredible. Thank you, Ningaloo, for being a force of nature.”

Yet, scientists say the damage caused may not have reared yet.

In addition to Narelle, the Ningaloo reef experienced a bleaching event in a record marine heatwave over 2024-2025.

Dr Marji Puotinen, Australian Institute of Marine Science spatial ecologist, said from the initial observations it was normal to believe parts of the reef were thriving.

“The part of the reef that encounters the waves first and gets smashed up, use up a lot of the energy in the wave, and so it creates sheltering for other parts of the reef,” she said.

“So, the damage that you get from cyclone waves is usually very patchy, so you can have one site that’s totally smashed in a really severe way, and then you can be, you know, a 10-minute ride away by boat, and it can be completely untouched.”

Dr Puotinen said she would expect to see some patches of the reef to have no damage and some sites to have been “totally smashed in a severe way”.

In terms of the expected patchy damage, Dr Puotinen said sometimes ecologists considered disturbance to be good for the reef to clear areas for new coral to grow.

However, from the force of the waves in cyclone Narelle this would only happen if other significant damage did not occur for some time in the future.

She said this could also be good for coral spawning, yet the cyclone hit the reef at the same time as a coral spawning event.

“There are people who are worried that some of those baby corals would have been swept away before they got the chance to resettle onto the reef,” she said.

“Another worry is that if a coral is already stressed or even dead from something like bleaching, it’s much easier for waves to smash it up.

“And so, the vulnerability of those corals that had already been affected by the bleaching would be greater. To me, that suggests there’s a greater chance for some serious damage.”

To help the Ningaloo reef recover post-cyclone and the record bleaching event, the State Government launched an $11 million program on Tuesday focused on a coral enhancement trial.

The funding included a $5m State Government investment and philanthropic contributions from the Angela Wright Bennett and Jock Clough Marine foundations.

Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the trial would be the first of a series of projects across the next five years.

“By trialling innovative regeneration techniques, we are building the knowledge and tools needed to improve how we respond to future heatwaves and bleaching events and increasing reef resilience in the face of recent cyclone activity in the region,” he said.

“Together, these efforts will help bring new life to the Ningaloo and Exmouth Gulf region.”

Dr Puotinen said scientists would not know the extent of the damage for at least a little while, while the reef tried to recover.

“Still visit the reef, learn how amazing it is and share that. Be aware the reefs aren’t going to automatically be there forever. We need to do things to help protect them,” she said.

Dr Puotinen said it was also important people made an active effort to reduce their carbon dioxide production levels to help support the Ningaloo Reef.

“Overwhelmingly, the key threat to reefs is that the Earth is getting overheated. The water is getting too hot, that promotes cyclones, that creates coral bleaching, and that’s what’s really stressing the race,” she said.