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The
reef, which lies at depths of more than 30 metres (100 feet),
probably took around 25 years to grow. Some of the rose-shaped
corals measure more than 2 metres in diameter.
"It was magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals which
stretch for as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of
art," said French photographer Alexis Rosenfeld, who led the
team of international divers that made the discovery.
Most of the world's known coral reefs are in warmer waters at
depths of up to 25 metres, UNESCO said. The reef off Tahiti lies
in the "twilight zone" 30 to 120 metres below the surface where
there is still enough light for coral to grow and reproduce.
Bleaching is a stress response by overheated corals during heat
waves during which they lose their colour, with many struggling
to survive.
Perhaps the most famous - Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a
World Heritage-listed wonder - has suffered severe bleaching to
an estimated 80% of its corals since 2016.
The discovery off Tahiti's shores suggests there may be many
more unknown large reefs in our oceans, given that only about
20% of the entire seabed is mapped, according to UNESCO
scientists.
"It also raises questions about how coral reefs become more
resilient to climate change," UNESCO's head of marine policy,
Julian Barbiere, told Reuters.
More of the ocean floor needed to be mapped to better safeguard
marine biodiversity, Barbiere said.
"We know more about the surface of the moon or the surface of
Mars than the deeper part of the ocean."
(Reporting by Michaela Cabrera; Editing by Richard Lough and
Mark Heinrich)
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