The researchers 'flying' and getting barrels on the reef for science

Daniela Ceccarelli is clinging to a rope with her hands above her head as she whizzes through the water, trying to count as many fish and coral as she can.

Every two minutes, the boat towing her pauses so Dr Ceccarelli can jot down her observations with a waterproof pencil on waterproof paper.

Then she's off again, soaring underwater in a research method known as a "manta tow".

The manta tows are designed to provide a quick broadscale check of reef health, tracking bleaching, coral cover, crown-of-thorns starfish or even the number of coral trout.

"It really does feel like flying when you're getting pulled along underwater,"

Dr Ceccarelli said.

"We do tow in rough weather sometimes, so it can be fun to get a barrel while you're on a manta tow."

Dr Ceccarelli has had a fish-eye view of hundreds of different areas that make up the Great Barrier Reef.

She has seen its sheltered sides, the sandy lagoons and the steep-walled reef front.

Sometimes, she is surrounded by dolphins, whales or false killer whales.

And once, in a bizarre incident, she watched an octopus punch a fish.

A 40-year-old data set

These unusual counting trips form a vital part of the Australian Institute of Marine Science's (AIMS) long-term monitoring program of the reef, with the group marking 40 years of data collection.

The dataset includes information from manta tows on 490 parts of the Great Barrier Reef.

The monitoring program also includes detailed scuba surveys identifying the size and number of species.

Dr Ceccarelli has completed about 3,000 of these manta tows in five years and said the monitoring program was "legendary" among educators as the "gold standard of coral reef management".

The public database has details down to the results of each manta tow.

Dr Ceccarelli said she was regularly asked how the reef was doing, and now people can see for themselves.

"We answer this through this dashboard," she said.

"You can drill down to each part of the reef and see how it's faring."

Assessing government policies

The program began after the second crown-of-thorns outbreak on the reef.

Team lead Mike Emslie said the monitoring was considered novel at the time.

"It was pretty pioneering, particularly on the scale of the Great Barrier Reef," he said.

Now, Dr Emslie said it was likely the longest continual monitoring of a coral reef in the world and it was important the manta tow approach remained constant.

"The point is that how we collect the data doesn't change," he said.

"It gives you the ability to be able to go back in time and see how things have been affected."

He said the dataset allowed for analysis of government policies and decisions.

For example, Dr Emslie said the dataset showed the "big and controversial move at the time" of introducing no-fishing green zones in 2004 was effective for biodiversity conservation.

The data also showed the "amazing recovery" of coral after the 2016/17 bleaching event.

"Without the data set, we wouldn't have the information to be able to assess federal government plans in terms of sustainability," he said.

"This program has shown its worth time and time again."