I’m fortunate that I can travel to the Red Sea with relative ease, so it does become a destination I tend to share posts about more than any other.  I thought I’d share these images from a recent visit that show some absolutely splendid coral growth in near-perfect water conditions.

So far, the corals of the Red Sea have escaped the worst of the global decline in coral reef health and vitality, especially in the southern areas, where development and tourism pressure is minimal.

These shots show a reef several miles away from shore, which is absolutely in the very best of health.  I was also lucky to experience very clear water, not something you can always rely on.

I had actually been on a fairly deep dive and as I surfaced, I realized that the conditions were just right to allow me to get these shallow images.

In the image above you can see the reef crest disappearing into the distance. The most noticeable corals are a mixture of Millepora dichotoma and M. platyphylla with Pocillopora sp. They seem to be overgrowing what might have been a large colony of Porites, possibly P. nodosa.

The image above is on the same reef, just a few short meters away; there are some nice acroporid colonies and a pair of Chaetodon austriacus.  Against the blue you can see Half-and-Half Chromis, Chromis dimidiata.  Keen eyes will spot a Sulphur Damsel, Pomacentrus sulfureus.