Better go see the Great Barrier Reef before it disappears! Actually, you have plenty of time, because coral cover has actually INCREASED in the last 20 years. More surprising facts here:

This reminded me of something. I went snorkeling at the reef back around 2006-2007. As we swam around, it looked pristine. No damage, no missing areas. So I asked about it. I told the lead biologist at the rig we were on that I expected to see huge swaths of bleached or damaged areas - that's what I had read about in the NYT. This biologist guy was the most grizzled scientist, scuba diver guy with a perma-tan you ever saw. Been out there for decades. He flat out told me that scientists just inflate the damage happening to the reef, in order to get more funding. I was dumbfounded, realizing I'd been lied to about this, my entire life.

A skeptical person might have wondered if that guy was the one lying. A skeptical person might wonder if your whole story is made up.

A dickhead would tweet that.

Who? Him or me? There is a whole meme centered around questioning those kinds of anecdotal stories that are just too good at fitting some narrative to be swallowed without question. It's "I'll take Things That Didn't Happen for $200, Alex."