The corals of the Red Sea
- Friendly Fins
- Dec 21, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 7
Who do we meet in the Red Sea?
As soon as we put our heads under the water of Friendly Fins, we will immediately notice one thing: the COLOR of the coral reef, to give this pleasure to the eyes are the over 170 species of coral present in these waters not to mention the vastness of animal species present!
It is clearly impossible to recognize them all but… We can at least get a general idea of who some species of coral and especially fish are!
Let's start with the most famous corals:
The Fire Coral
The first one to be categorically recognized is the fire coral! Yes, the name says it all so never ever touch it even by mistake! It is not really a coral but for simplicity we will consider it as such: it is yellow and very branched, it can create very large branches and its peculiarity is that, at the end of each branch, it has these very recognizable white tips, inside these tips there are stinging cells that literally burn the skin.
We can encounter it everywhere: even and especially in the most superficial areas, so paying attention during the dive is fundamental but even more important is when we are snorkeling because we will not have the protection of the wetsuit so we will be more vulnerable to a possible touch. In the remote case that we have touched it, the first thing to do is NOT rub the abraded part otherwise we will burst the cells and spread them everywhere, worsening the situation. Instead, immediately put hot water which gives relief.
The gorgonians
This extraordinary coral is always a sought-after subject for underwater photographers, in the Red Sea there are some of the largest gorgonians I have ever seen! They are fan-shaped corals that we will find in shaded areas and more exposed to currents, growing perpendicular to the current to capture more nourishment. They can grow up to two meters long and take on colors from yellow to pink, difficult to see when snorkeling and diving within 15/18 m, as they remain deeper… But never say never!
The acropora
Among the most spectacular corals that we can see in the Red Sea, the acropora are certainly in the first places, the most famous representatives are the table corals that can reach dimensions of 2/3 m in width. We recognize them immediately because they resemble a circular table with a central trunk that supports it, the color is brownish while the ends are white (point where the coral continues to grow).
They are found on plateaus and slopes that slope gently, at depths easily visible to both snorkelers and divers.
The majesty of these large corals steals the gaze but be careful Friendly Fins because we can find many fish under these large tables, such as grunt fish, moray eels and corvinas.
Another famous representative of the acropora group is the staghorn coral that characterizes the shallows and creates real convoluted expanses used by an immense variety of fish as a habitat. They are among the corals that grow the fastest (from 5 to 15 cm per year) but also among those most sensitive to climate change. It is easily visible to both divers and snorkelers and we can recognize it thanks to its numerous ramifications with these squat branches of mostly yellow color, with white, blue or purple tips.
The Alcyonacea
Alcyonarians are among the corals that most characterize the Red Sea precisely because of their quantity and variety. They are the so-called soft corals, that is, corals that do not have a calcareous skeleton but a soft and rubbery consistency. The calcareous part is limited to small spicules incorporated into the supporting tissue, in some it is even possible to see them with the naked eye: they look like little stars.
We recognize them because they are made of “soft” bushes or trees that often float following the current, they have very bright colors (orange, pink, fuchsia, blue, yellow), actively contributing to the cheerfulness of the coral reef!
These corals, however, do not like shallow depths and mostly prefer shaded areas, so it will not be easy to spot them for snorkelers, but it will be easier for scuba divers.
It is a brief overview of the most famous and recognizable corals, it is very important to try not to touch them even involuntarily because in any case all corals contain cells that are more or less stinging for humans but can still hurt us. Furthermore, although the calcareous composition gives a robust appearance to coral, it is actually very fragile and our touch could break it, destroying years of growth.
We always enter the sea on the tips of our Friendly Fins fins!
Finally, we will surely find dead corals on the beach that will tempt us to collect them to take home the “souvenir”, but it is not possible! Beyond the hefty fine that you risk at the airport, it is really a question of respect for the environment that we went to visit.
Dead coral actively contributes to the recycling of the beach and to new calcium carbonate, in fact, crumbling with the action of waves, wind and currents, creates new sand and re-enters the cycle. If this system is interrupted, the entire coral reef will suffer. If you want to know more: click here!
I know that a very small coral is not a threat but added together for all the very small corals that are collected by hundreds of tourists a week, for all the weeks of the year it really makes a difference.
And now let's talk about fish, dugongs but also some precious advice for living with the coral reef! Click here!
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