Another giant from our partners Global Reef , a new giant ๐๐ช๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข sitting at a depth of 7m and measuring 6.8m x 2.8m. Here we also provide a close up of its truly beautiful coral polyps. These species seem to grow very slowly making even the smallest of the giants a very old organism. Eyes open during your future dives!
A huge news. Map the Giants continues to uncover unique, invaluable coral colonies through the help of citizen scientists.
Amid this global coral reef crisis, it is heartwarming to still discover giant coral colonies in our ocean. Map the Giants is once again proving that Nature can truly be incredible and that it is our mission to protect organisms as special as these.
They are our beacon of hope for our planetโs future. This very large coral colony was only included in one of the three size classes we use to group our giants, the “10-20 m” group. The large size of this colony sitting on the side of a kandu is clearly visible from the diver in front of it.
A huge news. Map the Giants continues to uncover unique, invaluable coral colonies through the help of citizen scientists.
Amid this global coral reef crisis, it is heartwarming to still discover giant coral colonies in our ocean. Map the Giants is once again proving that Nature can truly be incredible and that it is our mission to protect organisms as special as these.
They are our beacon of hope for our planetโs future. This huge colony from the South of the Maldives it has only been visually estimated over 10m in length.
Sometimes submissions contain few, yet key information. It may happen that divers discover a giant coral colony during a dive in a location they only visit once. The data they provide are anyways valuable for our database. Visual estimation, might not be precise, but multiple photos of the colony and an “object” of known size within the photo, helps validating the entry as a giant.
This submission arrives from Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ. The colony has been visually estimated to be 8m in the longest dimension and roughly 4m in height. A beauty that we would love to get to know more.
๐ฎ๐ฉ This colony found in Bontosua Island, in Indonesia, has been visually estimated to be 8m in the longest dimension and roughly 4m in height. It’s a real beauty! And we are really happy to see giants from so many countries.
Drone videos are a great tool to identify giant coral colonies as they allow to cover a wide area in a relatively short time. This technique allows to explore shallow waters, and marine biologist Olivia Forster and her team at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Island have been able to identify this giant coral in the lagoon of the resort. This Porites sp. measures 6.5m in length and approximately 17.5m in perimeter. Although it presents some dead portions, the alive tissue has been estimated over 76%.
Drone videos are a great tool to identify giant coral colonies as they allow to cover a wide area in a relatively short time. This technique allows to explore shallow waters, and marine biologist Olivia Forster and her team at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Island have been able to identify this giant coral in the lagoon of the resort. This Porites sp. measures 6.5m in length and approximately 17.5m in perimeter. Although it presents some dead portions, the alive tissue has been estimated over 76%.
There are many ways corals contribute to biodiversity and here is one. This giant Porites sp. measured and reported byย @cococaresmvย is not only special because of its size, but it is also dear to Manta Rays that use it as a cleaning station.
Corals are organisms capable of living incredibly long lives and are home to many other organisms thriving within, on, and in the middle of their structures.
This colony was found at 19.5m and measures 8.5 m in length. In the last few weeks, it showed signs of bleaching but we are hopeful that given its depth, it will make it, as it must have already done in the pastโฆ
Map the Giants is expanding its reach ๐.
Here is an interesting discovery from the Red Sea. A giant ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ด sp. that seems to have broken off from its base and now rests at a depth of 9.5 meters. It was measured using an underwater tape, revealing it to be 5 meters high, 7 meters long, and 15 meters in circumference. Considering that part of it is dead as a result of the collapse, the colony is estimated to have 51-75% living tissue.
All the way from Malaysia comes a report of a giant micro-atoll. These are circular coral colonies that are dead on top but continue to grow around the perimeter. This typically occurs when a coral colony begins growing in relatively shallow water. Upon reaching the surface, the upper part dies, and growth continues on the sides. This can also happen due to sediment accumulating on the top, progressively smothering it.
This particular ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ด sp. from Malaysia was photographed and measured by theย @indonesiabirufoundationย , one of our supporters, in June 2024. The coral shows signs of bleaching and is situated at a depth of only 6 meters. The colony measures roughly 6 meters in diameter and 18 meters in circumference.
