Anyone who’s visited the Maldives would know that the Coral reefs in these clear blue waters are absolutely mesmerising! How about some insight on the type of Corals you may find in the Maldives for those of you who are yet to see it?
Massive corals
Normally, this type of coral can be found in yellow, cream or brown in the shape of a ball with a smooth surface (Porites coral). In some cases, this type of coral will have a pattern of irregular nodules on it (brain coral). Even though this colony is one that doesn’t grow very fast, it can actually become huge after a few hundred years.
Image Credit: Anantara Veli Maldives Resort
Branching corals
This type of coral has secondary branches growing out of them. They can be seen in pinkish brown and greenish. This is one of the fastest corals where colonies can reach heights of nearly 2 meters. Some examples of branching corals would be Stylophora coral and Staghorn coral.
Image Credit: Anantara Veli Maldives Resort
Flowerpot corals
The name for this type of coral sounds quite delicate, but in fact, the flower-like polyps on this coral can cause severe tissue damage to other corals, therefore other species of corals are not seen close to it.
Peter Young Cho, MD, Goniopora closeup, CC BY-SA 3.0
See for yourself
All you have to do is visit the Maldives and almost every Maldives resort such as the well-known Anantara Veli Maldives Resort can provide snorkelling or diving gear for you so that you can explore!
Image Credit: Anantara Veli Maldives Resort
Fritzjames Stephen is a travel writer, who writes content based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life. Google+
