Six of the world's seven sea turtle species use the Great Barrier Reef. Lady Elliot Island at the southern tip of the reef is nicknamed the 'Home of the Manta Ray' but equally delivers near-guaranteed green turtle encounters — snorkel straight off the beach to swim alongside dozens grazing on seagrass. Heron Island hosts one of the largest green turtle nesting aggregations on Earth between November and March, with hatchlings emerging in February-April. Raine Island, remote and closed to visitors, is where up to 64,000 green turtles nest in a single season — the largest nesting aggregation on the planet.
