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A very nice coral reef primer from a sailing website!

Will you be going sailing any time soon in the tropics? If you are, there's a pretty good chance you will be swimming, maybe snorkelling, maybe even scuba diving. If so, make sure you are equipped with a little information to enrich your experience and maybe even help the reefs' survival.

Two OceansWatch volunteers, writer Crystal Lawrence, and photographer/Marine biologist Vince Kerr have combined to bring you this elucidating article on Coral Reefs and what YOU can do to assist their survival. (What is OceansWatch? - find out at the end of the article)

Exploring a coral reef from above or below the water surface is an inspiring experience. From above, calm turquoise waters provide yachts from around the world with safe, relaxing havens to spend a few days, weeks, or months. Hop off the boat with a mask and snorkel, and a whole new vibrant world of life, colour and activity is revealed.

But how long can this last? Sadly, coral reefs are among the greatest contributors to the health of our planet and are among the most threatened.

Why Are Coral Reefs Important?

Corals on a reef act much like trees in the forest: they provide both the physical structure and life supporting ‘powerhouse’ which supports a range of habitats (homes) for plants and animals.

Different habitats, separated by variations in light (affected by both depth and shading), nutrient levels, temperatures, water movements created by waves or currents, and depths, create so many different habitats that coral reefs can lay claim to among the highest numbers of species co-existing in one area on the planet. The scientific term for this great richness of life is ‘biodiversity’ and coral reefs are important partially because of their high biodiversity.


Coral reefs occur in warm, relatively shallow tropical seas. Their great abundance of life seems almost out of place in these clear, comparatively barren tropical seas – sometimes referred to as ‘tropical deserts’ because they are so low in nutrients. But what the oceanic water lacks, the reefs make up for. A unique partnership exists between corals and the microscopic single-celled algae which live inside them. This symbiotic relationship is the basis for the complex, interconnected web of life that we call ‘coral reefs’.