8K Stock Footage from the Untouched Depths of Lihou Reef & Beyond: The Remote Coral Sea Reefs
The Coral Sea, an expansive and largely unexplored part of Australia's northern coast, is home to some of the most pristine and remote coral reef systems on Earth. These ecosystems, which include Lihou Reef, Flinders Reef, Magdelaine Cays, Herald Cays, and Holmes Reef, are so distant and inaccessible that some of these reef systems are less frequently travelled than the Moon itself. But despite their isolation, these breathtaking reefs offer incredible biodiversity and stunning underwater vistas, and you can now bring this beauty into your next project with this exclusive 8K Coral Sea stock footage collection.
Capturing this unique footage from these remote sections of the Coral Sea required a lengthy 8 day expedition into some of the world’s most remote waters, over 600km off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This footage gives you access to the rarest of the rare, with video clips that showcase untouched sections of one of the last frontiers of the natural world. Whether you’re working on a documentary, a conservation project, or any high-end production, these 8K underwater clips provide an unparalleled level of detail and realism, and feature clean cut footage of reef for natural history or documentary films, and cuts featuring scuba divers for commercial applications.
Dappling Light & Deep Sea Caves, The Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea
Shot on: 8K RED V-RAPTOR in 8K DCI R3D RED RAW
Features: Deep sea caves with epic dappling light, contrasty moody reef scenes and caverns, and deep drop offs shot in crystal clear water. Footage shot with and without scuba divers.
Expansive Gorgonian Sea Fan Gardens, The Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea
Shot on: 8K RED V-RAPTOR in 8K DCI R3D RED RAW
Features: Expansive Gorgonian Sea Fan gardens, bustling fish life, vibrant sea fans, drop offs and Anemone Fish. Footage filmed with and without scuba divers in crystal clear visibility.
The reefs we visited on this expedition, and are featured in our Coral Sea stock footage collection include:
Lihou Reef: A remote coral atoll, located around 600km off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Lihou Reef is known for its high biodiversity and pristine coral gardens, and it’s a vital nesting ground for seabirds. The untouched underwater ecosystems here offer some of the clearest water we’ve had the opportunity to film in, with deep walls and drop offs stretching down thousands of meters into the ocean. These deep sea reefs are home to bustling shark populations, including Tiger Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks, Silver Tip Sharks, and a horde of Reef Sharks, in addition to large schools of Dog Tooth Tuna, and Barracuda.
Magdelaine Cays: Located further out in the Coral Sea. The Magdelaine Cays are a sanctuary for seabirds and marine life, including rare species like the green sea turtle and dugong. These cays are isolated and provide a unique window into untouched coral ecosystems. Our footage from this location involves some spectacular caverns, swim-throughs and caves with some absolutely magic dappling light.
Herald Cays: Known for its crystal-clear waters and thriving coral formations, the Herald Cays are another remote location where pristine marine ecosystems can be found. The cays are home to diverse species of fish, rays, and reef sharks. The remoteness of this location means it’s a rare site for film crews, and similarly offers some remarkable caverns and caves.
Flinders Reef: Flinders Reef is famous for its biodiversity, including large populations of soft and hard corals, reef fish, and the occasional Reef Shark of Sea Turtle. Located 250km from the coast of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, it’s an incredibly vibrant reef that makes for breathtaking footage. We were treated to the most expansive Gorgonian Sea Fan garden I have ever seen, with Sea Fans stretching as far as the eye could see.
Holmes Reef: One of the closest Coral Sea reefs from the Australian coast. Walls and pinnacles are the big attraction at Holmes Reef, with both featuring great corals and marine life. Its untouched waters provide a serene habitat for colourful coral gardens and abundant fish species.
Deep Coral Sea Reefs, Drop Offs & Sharks, The Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea
Shot on: 8K RED V-RAPTOR in 8K DCI R3D RED RAW
Features: Deep sea coral reefs and drop offs, moody structures, pinnacles and deep walls, pelagics including Reef Sharks, Silver Tip Sharks, and Tiger Sharks. Footage shot with and without scuba divers.
Vibrant Great Barrier Reef Fish Life shot on Laowa Probe
Shot on: 8K RED V-RAPTOR in 8K DCI R3D RED RAW with Laowa Probe Cine
Features: Macro probe footage of vibrant reef fish, Anemone Fish, Great Barrier Reef corals and nudibranchs.
This extensive Coral Sea & Great Barrier Reef Archive library was filmed by professional underwater cinematographer Tom Park, and has been purpose built for natural history, documentary and commercial clients seeking the highest quality Great Barrier Reef footage. This carefully curated gallery features the finest underwater and wildlife moments captured over years of filming by underwater cinematographer Tom Park, across Australia’s Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea. Tom has serviced a range of industry clients with breathtaking footage, including Silverback Films, National Geographic, David Attenborough, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Channel 9, PBS, Tourism Australia, Tourism Queensland and the Smithsonian.
This stock footage gallery has been shot with a variety of professional cinema cameras, including the 8K RED V-RAPTOR, the 6K RED Komodo in R3D RED RAW, and Sony 4K Cinema Systems. Footage is available in a range of resolutions from 4K to 8K and in a variety formats including RED RAW, Apple ProRes, and MP4 codecs. Throughout this blog post, I’ve scattered examples of some of my favourite stock footage reels. The full library can be found at www.tomparkfilms.com/stockfootage and if you’re interested in licensing footage please reach out to Tom at tomparkfilms@gmail.com.
Great Barrier Reef Drone Aerials & Drone Footage
Shot on: 5.1K DJI Drones, 10bit D-Log, 1” Sensor. Filmed under CASA license.
Features: Drone aerials of the Great Barrier Reef, in crystal clear conditions.
This Coral Sea Stock Footage gallery was shot exclusively in 8K RED RAW (or on drones), and captures every detail with stunning clarity. Our footage provides an incredible level of detail, from the smallest fish darting through coral branches to the vast expanse of the ocean surrounding the reefs. Here’s why our 8K Coral Sea stock footage is the ideal choice for your next project:
Unmatched Resolution: With 8K resolution, our footage offers hyper-realistic details that make it feel like you’re diving into the heart of the Coral Sea yourself. The richness of colour, the clarity of textures, and the high-speed frame rate options make these clips perfect for cinematic productions or any project that requires the highest level of visual impact.
Rare and Exclusive Footage: These locations are so remote that access is limited, meaning the footage you’re using is truly one of a kind. These reefs are rarely filmed, and many of these areas have only been explored by a handful of researchers and explorers.
Diverse Marine Life: The Coral Sea is home to an incredible variety of marine species, including vibrant coral gardens, turtles, pelagic species such as sharks, schooling fish, rays, and much more.
Perfect for High-End Productions: Whether you're creating a documentary, educational video, or marketing material, the pristine clarity and beauty of 8K stock footage will elevate your deliverable.
The Coral Sea is a hidden gem, and our 8K stock footage collection brings its rare and unspoiled beauty to your creative projects. This footage captures these rarely seen underwater landscapes, providing a level of detail that’s perfect for the most demanding cinematic productions. Whether you’re creating environmental documentaries, educational videos, or stunning promotional content, our footage will give your project the visual impact it deserves.
Check out the full stock footage gallery here, and if you’re interested in licensing any footage email Tom at tomparkfilms@gmail.com.