Google Street View Dives into the Largest Fringing Coral Reef in the World

On the west coast of Australia is an ocean paradise home to 300 species of coral, 500 fish species and megafauna such as whale sharks. It’s the Ningaloo Coast, and this is where the Google Street View team has spent the last 10 days capturing imagery -- adding to the more than 170 billion images from 87 countries already collected.

The Ningaloo Coast is World Heritage listed and was named a Hope Spot by Mission Blue this year, meaning it’s critical to the health of the ocean. The good news is much of the reef is currently still healthy. This Street View capture is a chance to document its current condition and keep track of how it's evolving. And by raising awareness and making sure that as many people as possible see this natural wonder, and get to understand its significance, we hope to do our bit to help protect this incredible place.

Street View imagery is gathered in a number of ways: some places are captured by the Street View car, others by the Trekker, or we can dive beneath the waves with 360-degree cameras. Partnering with Parks and Wildlife Service WA and not-for-profit Underwater Earth, we captured Ningaloo from every angle, collecting imagery above, below and along the coast.

We trekked hundreds of kilometres of National Park lands and beaches. On the water, we watched for whale sharks, humpback whales, turtles, and more. Then, we swam in the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean to capture images and learn about this unique part of the world.

Whether you’re in Newcastle, Naples, Napa or Nairobi, in the coming months you’ll be able to experience and explore the magic of the Ningaloo Coast on Google Street View and Google Earth, without getting your feet wet.

Photo credit: Sam Venn Photography