---
node: spot_great_barrier_reef_heart_reef
type: spot
slug: heart_reef
destination: dest_great_barrier_reef
title: "Heart Reef"
lead: "Heart Reef is a small coral formation in the Hardy Reef complex that happens to have grown in the shape of a heart. It cannot be swum or landed on, and is seen only from the air."
published: 2026-08-17
updated: 2026-08-17
image_file: spot_great_barrier_reef_heart_reef.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heart_Reef_and_Lagoon_Great_Barrier_Reef.jpg"
image_author: "Alphasauce"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

The formation is about seventeen metres across and sits in the lagoon of Hardy Reef, roughly seventy kilometres off Airlie Beach. It was spotted from a light aircraft in 1975 and has been photographed from above ever since. It is protected: the water around it is a no-entry zone of the marine park, so there is no snorkelling on it and no boat pontoon beside it. What makes it legible from the air is the contrast between the dark coral and the pale sand of the lagoon floor.

## Highlights

Scenic flights from Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island and Shute Harbour all pass it, by seaplane, helicopter or fixed wing; the low-wing aircraft give the cleaner view down. Some seaplane trips land elsewhere in the lagoon so you can swim in the same water. Ask which side of the aircraft the pass is made on when you book, and go on a still day — the shape reads best when the lagoon surface is calm.