A Reef Spectacular

Early this month, I had an experience underwater at that I can’t stop thinking about — it deeply affected me in a way that I have only experienced a couple of times before in all my years of diving. The reef we were diving on in the Egyptian Red Sea put on a show that was, quite simply, spectacular.

It’s hard to pinpoint what made it so mesmerizing — maybe it was the brightly colored soft corals dancing in the current, or the display of beautifully sculpted hard corals with their incredible textures and forms that, together, appeared to cover every square inch of the reef. Maybe it was the fish that filled my vision wherever I looked, from huge lumbering pufferfish struggling to maneuver, to elaborately painted parrotfish, to electric-colored schools of orange Chromis darting in every direction. Maybe it was all the other life that dotted the reef — the nudibranchs, the shrimps, the sea stars, and urchins — or the crystal-clear water and the stunning ocean light beams that spotlighted every detail. I guess it was the combination of all these things. It was truly a Reef Spectacular.    

It’s a testimony to the validity of the 50 Reefs science —that I’ve been diving on coral reefs all over the world, yet the only times I have seen a show like the one put on in Egypt have been whilst diving on reefs that were later identified by the 50 Reefs scientific study — sites like Raja Ampat in the heart of the Coral Triangle and in the remote far north of the Great Barrier Reef.

For a few minutes, which seemed to last forever, I felt ecstatic as I drifted through the most magnificent and biodiverse ecosystem on our planet. But then I had a chilling thought — this incredible underwater world, which supports over 800,000 species and is more vibrant and biodiverse than anything in our terrestrial world, could so easily be lost within our lifetime. The enormity of the situation hit me like a juggernaut. If we allow global temperatures to rise over 2 degrees C, coral reefs will be gone; less than 1% are predicted to survive. I looked at the reef in Egypt and I felt shame for humanity for even creating this possibility.

The good news is we have a plan to save coral reefs, and it’s a very good plan. I’m not talking about 50 Reefs — although I believe that is an important part of it. I’m talking about the Paris Agreement. Governments have already legally committed to doing what it takes to save coral reefs — to keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C with a target of 1.5 degrees C. The best part is that the plan makes good economic sense, too. Coral reefs alone contribute $2.7 trillion to the global economy each year. The question is: Do we have the will to make it happen? I only wish policymakers could get to see a Reef Spectacular, like I did, to provide them with the inspiration for the action needed.  

I feel unbelievably privileged to be able to have these underwater experiences. However, I’ve learned that this privilege comes with a heavy responsibility: to do everything I can to help raise awareness about what’s at stake and inspire others to act. Fortunately, the experience has left me, and The Ocean Agency team, not only energized, but also more determined than ever to do so.

Photos by Renata Romeo and available on our Ocean Image Bank