'Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there,' Sebastian the crab once told Ariel.

But are we doing enough to protect that underwater world?

On June 1, we celebrate World Reef Awareness Day, a time to recognise the beauty—and fragility—of coral reef ecosystems.

One magnificent example is the New Caledonian barrier reef, which wraps around Grande Terre, New Caledonia's largest island.

At over 1,400 kilometres long, it's the longest continuous barrier reef in the world.