KOMPAS.com – A team of young Indonesian marine biology researchers from Ocean Gardener recently discovered a colony claimed to be the largest coral reef in the world. The coral reef is named Galaxea astreata. The researchers found it on the northern coast of Nusa Penida, Bali, after receiving training from the Map the Giants program at the University of Milano Bicocca, Italy. Ocean Gardener’s Research and Science Coordinator, Manikmayang, explained that after measurements, the reef was found to be 58 meters wide, 71 meters long, and 10 meters high. It covers more than 4,000 square meters, yet the existence of Galaxea has gone unnoticed by hundreds of divers who pass by the colony every day.
“This discovery has the potential to set a new world record. However, several tests are needed to confirm its status among giant coral colonies worldwide,” said Manikmayang in a statement on Friday (06/12/2024).
The size of Galaxea astreata surpasses the record of the coral colony in the Solomon Islands, which measures 34 meters in width, 32 meters in length, and 5.5 meters in height. Nusa Penida is located in the Lombok Strait, in the middle of the Indonesian Throughflow, where the Pacific Ocean flows into the Indian Ocean.
Its location is a key intersection where corals can grow to giant sizes and produce billions of larvae that spread across the Indian Ocean.
For this reason, Nusa Penida is a very important area in the Indo-Pacific coral map. The giant corals of Nusa Penida are within the boundaries of a marine protected area. The team at Ocean Gardener hopes that this reef will become a new focal point in the region, alongside the Manta Ray and Ocean Sunfish populations, for conservation efforts.