Google Street View dives into the Great Barrier Reef

September 26, 2012 8:47 AM

Google Maps Street View Collections now includes Heron Island, a coral cay in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
posted by capricorn (12 comments total)

And people wonder why I dive. When on the reefs, best to wear some kind of skinsuit or rash guard to prevent sunburn, instead of slathering on sunscreen. It's bad for the coral.

Coral reefs: get to them before they're gone ...
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:16 AM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Feel like I'm playin' Myst here. Cool.
posted by koeselitz at 9:17 AM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

According to Apple Maps, this is called "Wichita."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:26 AM on September 26, 2012 [12 favorites]

Can't believe that turtle's face isn't blurred.
posted by resurrexit at 9:33 AM on September 26, 2012 [5 favorites]

Now they're just showing off.
posted by Aizkolari at 9:36 AM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

That is exquisitely cool.
posted by Jode at 9:40 AM on September 26, 2012

This is so cool! Mrs. Bellman and I stayed on Heron Island on our honeymoon. Here is a nighttime shot of the view from the "street".
posted by The Bellman at 9:49 AM on September 26, 2012

According to Apple Maps, this is called "Wichita."

Now I want to make a Glenn Campbell joke....
posted by Mezentian at 10:24 AM on September 26, 2012

Looking for Neil Finn in a bathtub.
posted by davebush at 10:32 AM on September 26, 2012

*throws my iPhone 5 to the ground*
posted by sourwookie at 12:17 PM on September 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

My husband wanted to be the Bike rider-photographer for Google Maps..For Free...
posted by molisk at 12:22 PM on September 26, 2012

The reefs surrounding the island have a pretty good tidal variation, so that at low tide you can walk most of the way out to the edge, and at high tide, you're swimming. The edge of the reef is pretty steep; I think you go from 1 meter to 100 meters in one step.

The one corner of the island is a pretty nice resort. The University of Queensland has a research station on the other part of the island, and the researchers were nice if you were at all interested in their work.

The Wedge-tailed Shearwaters/mutton birds are the strangest thing on the island, to me. They sound like something horrible is happening to a small person. Pretty much every new arrival on the island needs to go to the front desk and ask worryingly about the room next to theirs, where something awful is happening. It's the birds, of course.
posted by blob at 10:04 PM on September 26, 2012