Discovery of Coral Reef 500 m Height ! Scientists have discovered a reef taller than the Empire State Building at the tip of the Great Barrier Reef off Cape York , Australia . The reef towers are over 1,640 feet ( 500 meters ) tall , making them taller not only than the iconic New York City skyscraper , but also the Sydney Tower in Australia or the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia . It was found on October 20 by a team of scientists on R / V Falkor , a research vessel of the Californiabased nonprofit Schmidt Ocean Institute . The tougher point of the reef is about 130 feet below the surface . " We were surprised and pleased with what we found ," Dr . Biman said in a press release . " Not only to mapping 3D coral reefs in detail , but also seeing this discovery visually by a SuBastian robot is incredible ."