who thinks that building massive shade cloth sails over the Great Barrier Reef is a good idea??

Question

Personally, as ridiculous as it sounds I think it would be a great Idea.. think about it we will be preserving one on the natural wonders of the world and tourists can visit and be a whole lot me comfortable in the shade and not get sunburnt... I support the notion wholey and wouldn't mind paying a conservation tax to support the idea?? do you??

Answer 1

I thought the same at first, how it would be good for the tourists etc. We definitely need to take steps to save this beautiful reef, home to many creatures but really is this a viable option? What about in cyclone season and what if the cloth falls into the water and ends up trapping marine life and possibly damaging the coral even more! I only heard about this second hand yesterday so don't know the full story but that's my thoughts. There must be another way!

Answer 2

Whether it is worth going to really depends on how much you want to see the reef, and only you can make that determination. While SCUBA diving is the best way to see it, in my opinion, there are other ways to see the reef if you don't care to SCUBA dive. For example, almost all the major boating trips leaving from Cairns or Port Douglas have dual SCUBA and snorkelling trips. (Many of the SCUBA trips are specifically designed for people who have never gone SCUBA diving before.) Even though you won't be able to get down as deep and see as much with snorkelling as you would with SCUBA diving, you will get a good feel for the reef. If snorkeling isn't something you'd like to do either, there are also submersibles available, which allow you to get a closeup view of the reef without even getting wet. Naturally this experience is not as interactive as actually swimming around the reef yourself, but if you have a condition that prevents you from snorkeling or SCUBA diving, this is the ideal solution. Check out the link below for more information on these. (There are probably better links available, but this was the first I found.) Booking ahead is advisable, but during non-peak periods, I've found that it's not really necessary to book this type of SCUBA, snorkeling, or other reef tour far in advance of your trip if you're going to be going to Carins. In the past, I've just stopped off at the marina the day before I've wanted to go out, asked them about the weather forecast out on the reef for the next day, and then booked the trip. Naturally, there is a little bit of a risk in doing it this way, though. I assume the booking situation is the same if you'll be in Port Douglas too. A couple of tips: 1) Leave yourself at least a couple of days for weather issues. 2) For better visibility in the water, go during times of the month where the moon is around half, which cuts down on tidal variances. 3) If you're physically able, have a second thought about SCUBA diving before you write it off entirely. I was a little nervous my first time, but it was a wonderful experience -- and right there on the reef.

Answer 3

The shade cloth would cost in the vicinity of 3000 billion dollars and the hanging of the cloth would probably require holes being drilled in the reef to erect poles to hang it from so i think the suggestion is ludicrous they cant use sky hooks you know. I think other solutions have to be found.

Answer 4

I'm sorry but I don't agree
Man needs to fix the real problem up & stop global warming
but they are only concerned about the Almighty Dollar
They can fix the GW if they truly wanted
but as i said it's the money that stops them

Answer 5

It is not ecologically sound to protect something through artificial means.

Answer 6

i think a big umbrella would be just as good a idea

and a is umbrella is a stupid idea

Answer 7

silly idea what if the workers building it got stung by a sting ray

Answer 8

no, thats dumb, im with the stop global warming thing

Answer 9

Well it would look unnatural.

Answer 10

nope i think it would look stupid, and not natural