Meet Master Reef Guide Jessica Funnell

Master Reef Guides aim to become the world’s top reef experts and interpreters, showcasing the marvels of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
As ambassadors of the reef, they share the latest scientific knowledge and management practices while educating visitors on how they can help protect this incredible ecosystem.
Jessica Funnell is one of the 146 Master Reef Guides across the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and she is based right here in the Whitsundays.
With 15 years of experience in the marine industry, including a decade at Sea World’s Research and Rescue Foundation and her current role with Ocean Rafting in the Whitsundays, Jess shared how becoming a Master Reef Guide was a natural next step in her career and a source of true inspiration.
To become a Master Reef Guide, participants from certified High Standard Tourism Operators must complete an intensive training program. Guided by experts including Reef Authority staff, Traditional Owners, and scientists Master Reef trainees explore the history, current state, and future of the Great Barrier Reef. This program equips them with up-to-date knowledge and interpretation skills to share the reef’s wonders with visitors.
Jess explained that when educating guests, you have to find the correct balance between educating visitors around the reef’s beauty but also educating them on the urgency of its conservation:
“You want people to fall in love with the reef, because they're going to protect it if they fall in love with it,” she explained.
“I will talk about the reef and how amazing it is and then slowly move to saying ‘look guys if we want to protect it, we need to start making some changes when it comes to climate change’, and just explain basic, little things on how to limit our footprint and what we can do in the future to help it.”
While there are many rewarding parts of being a Master Reef Guide, Jess states that the conservation side is what stands out for her.
“I feel like I am really making a difference,” Jess added.
“It isn’t a job where you just snorkel all day, its educating people and trying to make a difference.”
There’s a lot of misinformation surrounding the reef, with some people believing it's dead. Jess says she tries to correct people's perception of what the reef actually is and what they're looking at.
“Sometimes they'll see brown and green corals, and they're like, oh, is this dead? And you're like, no, no, this is alive and healthy.”
“So, I will also go and swim around, and I'll point out, a bit of rubble, and explain that it is cyclone damage, or what bleaching looks like.
“It is a delicate topic when it comes to the reef and its existence, because it's a living thing, and people have been told it's dead.”
Jess said the best advice for those wanting to help the reef, is by doing small things to limit their carbon footprint such as turning off the lights and air-conditioning or turning off the heat and wearing a jumper.
“One person can make a difference, even if it does seem small. But we just have to start. We've got to do something.”

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