Devastating footage has emerged over the weekend of horrific coral bleaching at Ningaloo (Nyinggulu), part of an extensive coral bleaching emergency on the coast of Western Australia driven by an extreme marine heatwave that has elevated ocean temperatures off WA’s north west coast around 4 degrees above average in recent months.
Photographs and video footage taken this weekend (16 February 2025) show extensive bleaching at Ningaloo, WA’s most iconic and beloved coral reef system which supports entire marine ecosystems and is central to WA’s tourism industry.
It comes after coral bleaching across the Kimberley in recent months, and on the back of a second tropical cyclone within a month blasting the Pilbara this weekend, with elevated marine temperatures implicated by experts as a factor in both.
Videographer Andre Rerekura, who captured the coral bleaching event at Ningaloo this weekend, said:
“It’s truly devastating. Spending so much time on Nyinggulu and witnessing its beauty firsthand, I know what a thriving, healthy reef should look like. So, to submerge beneath the surface and be met with an expanse of bleached coral stretching as far as the eye can see is a heartbreaking reality. It’s a stark reminder of how fragile these ecosystems are.
“All we can do is hold onto hope—hope that the reef’s resilience is greater than we fear, that the temperatures drop in time for recovery, and that this serves as a wake-up call to those who can make a difference. This isn’t an isolated event; it’s a global crisis unfolding before our eyes, and the more awareness we can spread, the better chance we have of protecting these vital ecosystems.”
Mia Pepper, the Campaigns Director at the Conservation Council of WA, said:
“This coral bleaching emergency at Ningaloo comes weeks after similar bleaching in the Kimberley, and is a direct result of an extreme marine heatwave off our north west coast. The images released today are heartbreaking and document a devastating man-made disaster unfolding off WA’s coast. This is an entirely avoidable tragedy happening just as experts predicted.
“The same extreme marine heatwave has also contributed to two intense tropical cyclones in less than a month battering WA’s Pilbara. Heating oceans are driven by a climate crisis caused by fossil fuel expansion. The nature we all love as West Australians is fragile and threatened. Our tourism industry, one of our state’s biggest employers, is also at risk.
“WA’s emissions continue to rise and the WA government continues to approve and expand gas production, flying in the face of climate science and warnings. It’s critical that the next WA state government phases out fossil fuels and passes laws to limit climate pollution - to do otherwise risks the lives and livelihoods of West Australians and future generations.”
Bill Hare, the CEO of Climate Analytics and a lead author of previous IPCC reports, said:
“Catastrophic bleaching of Ningaloo and other reefs in WA with global warming induced record sea surface temperatures should be no surprise. This has been long predicted by the scientific community and the state government is fully aware of this risk if fossil fuel emissions are not reduced quickly.
“Like night follows day, if we don't reduce fossil fuel emissions, including gas, fast enough then warming will continue and our reefs will be wiped out as they have no time and space to recover.”
“Against the available scientific evidence the State governments is pressing ahead with expanding gas development, even though fossil gas was one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions growth the last years.”