Originally found in November 2021 during a diving expedition which was part of a global seabed-mapping mission called the Seabed2030 Project, a “pristine” 3km long coral reef has been discovered off the coast of Tahiti, French Polynesia.
At depths around 30m, this is no ordinary reef. Instead, it is one of the largest “twilight zone” reefs discovered to-date, that’s according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, which led the mission.
Dr Julian Barbiere, from Unesco, said there were probably many more of these ecosystems awaiting discovery and urged that more effort should be made to map them and to protect them. French underwater photographer Alexis Rosenfeld said it had been “magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals stretching as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art”.
The next stage is to find what species live around this type of reef indeed coming months promise the excitement of further investigation!
Read more and wach a video HERE
