Eighteen million years ago, a series of remarkable events conspired to creat the great barrier reef--the migration of a continent, the might of an ocean, and the full power of the tropical sun. The result is a world that is as tough as it is beautiful. It's been through numerous catastrophies, and everytime, it's balanced back. But the Great Barrier Reef now faces its biggest challenge--us.

 

It all began just a hundred years ago, in the reigns equivanlent to the Klondike Gold Rush. Natural pearls fetch high prices around the world and the floor of the reef was once littered with them. 

 

In 1877, hundreds of breast helmeted divers risked their lives for hours on end in waters up to 15 feet deep, searching them out. With heavy leg boots they trampled all over the delicate reef. They left terrible devastation in their wake. But whilst the reef quickly recovered, the pearl corals were not so lucky. Within a few short years, the trade was over.