The Great Barrier Reef is a coral formation, the largest in the world, located off the Pacific coast of Queensland, Australia. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to a spectacular array of marine life and offers awesome diving opportunities.
The Great Barrier Reef is a famed diving destination, although divers with experience of the tropics find parts of it overused and damaged.
Most travellers learn to dive in Townsville, Cairns or Port Douglas: all have a very competitive dive industry. Most students prefer to do a two day pool and classroom course, followed by a two or three day liveaboard visiting the reef to the east of Cairns. It's possible to learn with some of the operators that travel to the Coral Sea, but check first about the difficulty of their dive sites. Land based learn to dive courses cost about $500, dive courses including a liveaboard start at about $700.
- Wikivoyage