Armchair scuba divers will be given the chance to explore the Great Barrier reef when Google Earth delves beneath the waves to offer sea views with a difference.

Rarely seen coral reefs, underwater grasslands, forests and craggy drop-offs teaming with marine life are to be photographed and mapped by a pair of unmanned submarine cameras during the Catlin Seaview Survey, which starts in September.

Story from Daily Telegraph London: A pioneering research survey will map the Great Barrier Reef as never before and allow virtual divers to experience the unique ecosystem through thousands of 360-degree, high-definition panoramas of underwater landscapes – similar to Google’s street view.

Rarely seen coral reefs, underwater grasslands, forests and craggy drop-offs teaming with marine life are to be photographed and mapped by a pair of unmanned submarine cameras during the Catlin Seaview Survey, which starts in September.

“Most people who dive the Barrier Reef do so to depths up to about 20 metres. But 93 per cent of the reef lies at between 30-100 metres, where light still penetrates. These areas are rarely if ever dived,” Ove Hoegh-Guldberg from the University of Queensland told the Daily Telegraph.

“Our specially made James Bond-like submersibles will capture for first time in history the unique marine life down there – and whether it is under threat from climate change,” he added.

Hoegh-Guldberg is the chief scientist of the research project, which is a partnership between Google, NGOs and sponsored by UK insurance company Catlin.

“The two camera subs – one is needed to rescue the other should it run into difficulties – are fitted with four state of the art HD cameras at the bow,” explained Hoegh-Guldberg.

“Each which will take photos every few seconds as they navigate designated sites along the 2,300km long reef. The subs also have the capability to collect samples to bring to the surface for further study on deepwater ecology and the changes taking place in our oceans ecosystems,” he added.

The images will be posted on Panoramio, Google Earth, Google Maps and be seen via a custom-made 360-degree viewer. A YouTube channel will also show the images. Currently they can be seen at Caitlin Seaview Survey.

Viewers will be able to click on the Google platforms at dive sites and submerge to carry out their own survey expeditions.

“We will seek the global audience’s help in assessing the health and composition of the reef. The public can help us scientist study in close detail the size of the corals and the number of fish, and spot things like coral bleaching and unique breeding habits. Hopefully, virtual diving will raise awareness about climate change,” said Hoegh-Guldberg.

Information on sea temperatures, calcification rates and the ability of relatively protected deep coral to provide the spores needed to rebuild damaged coral located nearer the surface, will also be gathered.

“All data gathered by the cameras and the viewers will strengthen our understanding of our oceans and form the basis for future analysis,” added Hoegh-Guldberg.

The expedition will consist of three dives to conduct shallow reef, deep water and mega fauna surveys.

Green turtles, tiger sharks and mantra rays will be also tagged as part of the research and then tracked on line by satellite.

“This will allow viewers and scientists to discover where such species migrate to as climate change impacts on their sea routes,” said Hoegh-Guldberg.

Images from a six-day pilot mission are already on line – and declared a success.

“The test run discovered a new species of pygmy sea horse and four types of coral that had never been seen in the region. We hope to over the coming years expand the surveys to other seas and oceans,” added Hoegh-Guldberg.

The new view of the seas was unveiled Thursday at the inaugural World Oceans Summit in Singapore, which for the first time has brought together leading economists, CEOs, scientist and select NGOs to “reframe the debate” about ocean conservation and the multiple challenges facing the booming blue-economy, from overfishing and to widespread environmental damage.