Stories from the Sea

What are coral reefs and why are they so important?

If you’re an avid SEVENSEAS reader, you’ve probably dived or snorkelled beautiful coral reefs around the world; admiring their stunning colours and abundance of marine life. But how much do you actually know about coral reefs? What are they and why are they so important? We asked the team at The Reef-World Foundation to tell us more…

Coral reefs might look like colourful rocks or dazzling underwater plants but they’re actually a colony of animals all living and working together – a bit like the ants or bees of the underwater world.

One individual coral animal – called a coral polyp – is a tiny creature that looks a little like an upside-down jellyfish. It falls under the scientific classification Cnidaria, made up of animals which use special stinging cells – called cnidocytes – to capture their prey. In corals, these cnidocytes are located in their tentacles. The coral polyp can move, feed and reproduce; and it lives in a coral colony, which is a large group made up of lots of polyps, in the same way you or I might live with family members. That colony lives in a group with lots of other colonies (like a human town or neighbourhood), which is called a coral reef.

There are lots of different types of coral. Hard corals have hard skeletons and provide the building blocks of the entire reef ecosystem. Although they look like rocks, these slow-growing corals are fragile and can take a long time to recover from damage. Soft corals, which tend to look more like plants, have no skeleton – you’ve probably seen them wafting in the current.

Corals, you’ll remember, have special tentacles with stinging cells which they use to capture food. They prey on zooplankton: tiny animals that drift along in the water. At night, a coral will grab the zooplankton with their tentacles and pull them into its mouth. But this only accounts for 20% of a coral’s food source.

For the rest of its food, coral relies on a microscopic algae called zooxanthellae. These two organisms have a very special, symbiotic relationship: the zooxanthellae live inside the coral skeleton – benefitting from the shelter it receives – where it uses photosynthesis to convert sunlight into food and shares this with the coral. It’s actually the zooxanthellae which gives the coral its bright and beautiful colours. Without the zooxanthellae, the coral would not only lose its colour but also the majority of its food source.

That’s what happens when coral bleaches. These sensitive zooxanthellae can only survive at very specific temperatures. Warming waters can stress the algae and trigger them to leave the coral looking for a more suitable home. If they don’t come back, the coral won’t have enough food and will die.

Bleaching is happening in oceans around the world. If current trends continue, it’s predicted severe bleaching will occur every year on 99% of the world’s coral reefs within the next 80 years. This is not just a problem for the coral because coral reefs are the building blocks of the entire marine ecosystem – they provide food and shelter for many fish and other types of marine life. In fact, they’re often called “the rainforests of the sea” because they’re one of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet. Despite only taking up less than one quarter of 1% of the marine environment, coral reefs are home to more than 25% of all known fish species. Put simply, without them, the ocean would be in trouble.

And if the ocean is in trouble, so are we. Reefs provide many local communities with fishing grounds; providing them with food and livelihoods. As well as fishing, there are a huge number of diving, snorkelling and other tourism-related jobs that exist thanks to coral reefs. Not to mention the protection they offer from coastal storms – which themselves are becoming more frequent thanks to climate change.

Whether or not you live by the ocean, coral reefs are a hugely important part of our planet – let’s work together to protect and conserve them for future generations.

The Reef-World Foundation leads the global implementation of the UN Environment’s Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly scuba diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally. To keep up with our latest news and developments, please follow Reef-World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also follow the Green Fins initiative on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date with new materials, updates and sustainability insights from Green Fins members.

Supporting content:

No touch poster: https://portal.greenfins.net/a/img/cms/Green%20Fins%20Toolkit/GreenFins_NoTouchENG.pdf
Supporting video: The Coral Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cusz66JZXkA&list=FLmDBJ2EnZNLsLm-eiGK0h_g&index=2

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Issue 121 - June 2025

Patrick & Dave’s Pride Guide: Scuba, Drag & Coral Reefs in Miami Beach

If you’re looking for a sun-soaked holiday to take this Pride Month, where you can snorkel or scuba dive and then have a refreshing beverage at a local queer bar and dance the night away—or turn in early and have a sunrise paddleboard with your partner—look no further than Miami Beach.

Miami hasn’t historically come to mind when planning a scuba vacation, but my husband and I have been exploring the nearshore reef off of South Beach since 2021 and we think our beach town has everything to offer for an LGBTQ+ eco adventure vacation. I have been diving for 20 years and found species here that I haven’t seen anywhere else like the lesser electric ray and the guitar fish!

A lesser electric ray resting on the sandy sea floor near Miami Beach — Lesser electric ray (possibly pregnant) lays next to a submerged buoy line

A school of colorful rainbow parrotfish swimming over a coral reef near Miami Beach — Lesser electric ray (possibly pregnant) lays next to a submerged buoy line

Only a few hundred feet from “Gay Beach” (12th Street), lies a coral reef that has remained resilient throughout the recent global bleaching phenomenon. A significant portion of the divers and snorkelers exploring this underwater ecosystem are part of the LGBTQ+ community that is growing each summer month when the waters are calm and the winds are low—the ideal time to visit the reef. The existence of this shore-accessible reef has inspired many queer people to get certified and discover the vibrant “rainbow of life” just a short swim from our city because it’s so easy to get to.

This community, led by many queer and women-led organizations, has been working to protect the reef and turn the entire area into a marine park. The biodiversity is stunning, numerous endangered hard corals and all sorts of rarely spotted marine life swim in this easily accessed site.

Miami Beach is a perfect eco-adventure destination for the LGBTQ+ community. Nowhere else can you find such a vibrant queer-oriented city just hundreds of feet from a spectacular coral reef. Picture a typical Saturday afternoon, swimming out to the reef with your friends while listening to the drag queens perform at the world-famous Palace bar across Ocean Drive. You can dive with locals in the morning, dry off for a fan clacking drag brunch, and dance the night away at the gay clubs.

Patrick and Dave standing in scuba gear on the beach after diving in Miami — *Patrick and Dave after scuba diving on Miami Beach’s nearshore Reef*

Some recommendations for an Ocean eco adventure vacation during Pride Month in Miami Beach:

Stay:

Check into the locally owned Gaythering Hotel at the bay-end of Lincoln Road. More than just a hotel, this local gem has become a staple in the queer community, hosting local sports leagues and raucous Sunday BBQs with entertaining bar games like hot potato (which may or may not use an actual potato), drag race competitions, and “pop the balloon.” They also host nightly events such as Karaoke Mondays, Trivia Wednesdays, and Bingo Thursdays. If you’re visiting on the last weekend of the month, I host a Queer Easels pop-up art show highlighting local South Florida artists.

Guests mingling at a Queer Easels pop-up art show at Hotel Gaythering in Miami Beach — *Snapshot from one of Patrick’s Monthly Queer Easels pop-up art shows at the Gaythering*

Paddleboard in the Bay:

Take a short stroll from the Gaythering to Purdy Avenue, where 2–3 rental options offer paddleboards to explore the tranquil bay. This peaceful setting is ideal for spotting South Florida’s diverse birdlife, including pelicans, ospreys, cormorants, and if you’re lucky, the rare, pink-feathered spoonbill (I’ve only seen one in the wild while paddleboarding off Purdy Avenue!). You’ll almost certainly see ospreys soaring overhead and cormorants drying their wings on channel markers. For experienced paddleboarders, exploring the mangroves on the north side of the bay is a treat—just remember sunscreen and water, and keep your eyes peeled for manatee snouts and dolphin fins!

A man paddleboarding on Biscayne Bay with blue skies and palm trees in the background — *Dave paddleboarding in Biscayne Bay*

Hit the Beach:

Grab the free rental bikes from the Gaythering and make your way to the local gay beach at 12th Street! You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you spot the rainbow-colored lifeguard tower and the Progress flags just to its south. On your way, pick up a sandwich from La Sandwhicherie, but guard it closely from the seagulls—you won’t want to share anything covered in the “magic sauce” from one of Miami Beach’s oldest continually running businesses.

Group of queer friends posing in front of the rainbow lifeguard tower at 12th Street Beach — *Patrick, Dave and the local queer pickleball group at the 12th Street beach*

Explore the Reef:

When you’re ready to meet the fishes, the easiest place to start is the South Pointe Jetty. Located at the southern end of the island, the best time to go is early in the morning before fishermen cast their lines. While fishing is technically not legal from the jetty, enforcement can be lax, so remain vigilant for fishing lines. We highly recommend bringing a diver buoy with you when snorkeling or diving to improve your visibility and help avoid accidents. Avoid the area of the jetty that begins to be submerged due to strong currents.

Scuba diving is excellent between 5th and 10th Streets. We are actively working with a group of local environmentalists to preserve this nearshore reef and create a safe zone for visitors while also protecting the reef from ongoing anchor damage. Currently, the vessel exclusion zone ends right at the near-edge of the reef, posing a potential for boat strikes. That’s why the first priority for the reef protection project is to move the buoys to the west side of the reef. This way, boaters can still enjoy the area, and we won’t have to worry about people encountering propellers while trying to meet new, gilled friends. Always check conditions before entering the water and carry appropriate safety equipment. In Florida, you are required to carry a dive marker with you while shore diving.

After your fill of ocean and bay adventures, head over to Palace for one of their famous drag brunches. Don’t forget to stop by their rooftop pool deck to catch the sunset and, on a clear day, get a bird’s-eye view of the reef. Then, dance the night away at Twist!

More Nature Excursions:

If you’re itching for another nature excursion, explore the Everglades on an airboat ride where you can spot some of our more ancient residents, the American alligator. If you’re heading that way, be sure to stop by Robert Is Here for one of their famous milkshakes and say hello to the animals in their petting zoo out back. Paddleboarding is also fantastic at Oleta State Park and along the scenic route to the Florida Keys!

About the Authors:

Patrick Breshike and Dave Grieser are a married couple living in Miami Beach, FL, with a deep passion for the ocean. Patrick is an artist and underwater photographer who draws inspiration for his work from the magic of the underwater world. Both Patrick and Dave are certified Divemasters and dedicated advocates for ocean conservation and their local LGBTQ+ community. They have been instrumental in a grassroots project to create a marine park in the nearshore waters off Miami Beach, aiming to protect the endangered ecosystem and ensure it’s safe for the community to visit. You can connect with them through their website, MiamiBeachMarinePark.com, or Patrick’s art website, gayfishes.com. Dave and Patrick are working with the local non-profit Urban Paradise Guild to advocate for the Marine Park. Check out urbanparadiseguild.org/lbr for more information.

Aquacultures & Fisheries

Breathe. Wheel. Flukes Up. Dive. Swim On, Whales!

April 24th was Massachusetts Right Whale Day. A vertical puff of water vapor split the air on that bright, calm day in Cape Cod Bay off Provincetown’s Wood End Lighthouse. The V-shaped blow is not visible because the whale is positioned broadside to us. Most baleen whales have narrower spouts. With no dorsal fin and a brief glimpse of broad flukes—the whale’s tail—confirms the presence of a right whale, approximately 50 feet long.

Right whale spout seen from afar with Wood End Lighthouse in the background on a clear blue day.

A right whale releases a vertical spout off Provincetown’s Wood End Lighthouse on Massachusetts Right Whale Day.

Right whales are so rare that whale-watching vessels must stay at least 500 yards, or 1,500 feet, away so as not to disturb them. Right whales are like icebergs in freshwater, with most of their bodies hidden underwater. We watched the magnificent mammals from a distance.

Two right whales worked the shore along Herring Cove. Herring gulls showed no interest in the whales as they followed the fishing boat, heading for the harbor with the morning’s catch. Right whales eat zooplankton, straining small animals that drift in the water column with six-foot-long cartilage plates hanging down from the roof of the whale’s mouth. Hairs on baleen form a fine mesh that traps zooplankton inside, where the whale’s tongue, the size of a BMW Smart car, swipes and swallows.

A pair of right whales swim in synchronization, turning and rolling onto their right side to elevate the left side of their flukes above the water. A third whale follows closely behind the twisting whales.

Today, the whales are likely eating shoals of Calanus copepods that are corralled between them and the steeply rising shore. We saw between 12 and 17 right whales from Race Point, with its lighthouse, to Long Point, which has a lighthouse at the tip of the sandy finger at the end of the raised arm known as Cape Cod.

Further offshore from Herring Cove, a slim, long whale with a sharply curved dorsal fin blows, wheels, and dives. With many decades of experience, the whale-watch boat captain maneuvers closer and stops the engine as a second sei whale surfaces. Reaching as much as 60 feet, sei whales are the third largest whale in the world, preceded by blue and fin whales. Sei is Norwegian for pollack fish, as they were often seen together.

Sei whale dorsal fin just above surface in calm blue waters off the Cape.

A sei whale arches before diving — its slim frame and distinct dorsal fin barely breaking the surface.

The two dark, bluish-gray whales settle beneath the water beside the boat, the white of their undersides visible as they roll onto their sides. The roqual grooves along their pleated chin and cheeks distend. Still in the water, these whales let the plankton float into their mouths, or so we think, as we cannot see any plankton in the dark waters. They rose to breathe after a few minutes, which seemed to our astonishment like an eternity.

The first humpback whales of the season are found north of Race Point. Low in the water, they appear to be lounging about, perhaps taking it easy after a morning of feeding on sand lance. Last week, I found the pencil-thin fish on the Herring Cove beach, likely dropped by a gull.

A humpback whale partially surfaced, showing blowholes and dorsal fins in blue open ocean.

A humpback whale lies below the surface with its blowholes and dorsal fin above the water.

A humpback whale lies below the surface with its blowholes and dorsal fin above the water. To the right, a second whale stirs the water that laps over its back.

The boat floats by the two humpback whales. Looking through the water, we see the whale’s 15-foot-long white flipper. The scientific name for humpback whales is Megaptera novaeangliae, meaning large-winged New Englander.

We are startled to see a second flipper looming white beneath the whale. A third whale is stealthily poised directly below the whale on the surface. When we saw two whales on the surface, there were really four humpbacks, surfacing two by two.

Later, all four whales were on the surface nearly at once. One rolled on its side to reach an enormous flipper to the sky. The narrator assured us that the whale was not waving. Whales slap the water to communicate with more distant whales, but there were no slapping sounds today.

The whales slowly drifted beneath our vessel, revealing their entire outlines from above. Here, the tail fluke can be seen while the head and flippers are on the other side of the boat. The whales moved beneath us, from left to right and then from right to left, four times!

Finally, a humpback whale lifted its tail before diving. The black and white pattern on the underside was recognized as belonging to the female humpback named Habanero for the appearance of a chili pepper mark. Habanero is well known to the Dolphin Fleet of whale watch vessels. Habanero was observed with a calf in September 2012. A second humpback was identified as Candlestick. The other two humpbacks never showed their tails.

Tail fluke of a humpback whale above the water, with Cape Cod shoreline and water tower in background.

The black-and-white tail fluke of Habanero, a known female humpback, rises above the bay before she dives deep once more.

Returning to the harbor, the right whales continued to forage along the shoreline. These whales are called urban whales because they come near our urban shores more often than others. Right whales do not migrate, except for females that give birth off Savannah and Jacksonville. The newborns have little blubber and require warm water. However, these clear waters offer little food. Therefore, right whales travel to Cape Cod Bay for the abundant shoals of zooplankton. They may stay for six weeks before spreading out across the North Atlantic.

Lobstermen do not trap during April and May along Massachusetts’ sandy shores and boat traffic consists of smaller vessels alert to right whales. The greatest threat to right whale survival is the diminishing availability of food. Our pollutants have caused phytoplankton productivity to drop by 60% since 2000. Copepods now have less fat content, requiring whales to consume more to obtain the same nutritional value.

What we are doing to the land is harmful. We have crossed a tipping point by removing vegetation and soil, which hard surfaces and urbanization have replaced. There are cascading negative consequences. Boston’s annual rainfall is a steady 46.4 inches a year, yet, destructive stormwater and combined sewer overflows are rising because we have removed the vegetation and the soil carbon sponge.

Water that once soaked into the ground now washes across heat islands. It warms up and transports heat to the ocean. The year 2023 was not an exceptionally hot summer for Boston but it was the wettest summer since 1955. This resulted in a record warming of the Gulf of Maine surface waters nearest to Boston. While 2021 was Boston’s hottest summer, the surface ocean water did not experience significant warming.

Nutrients spilled into the sea fuel harmful algal blooms and ocean dead zones. The ten-fold increase in the use of the herbicide Roundup since 1996, when Monsanto developed crops resistant to glyphosate, is likely more than coincidental to the loss of phytoplankton.

The solution to the threat to the ocean ecosystems on which whales depend lies on land. Land should be granted the right to retain the rainwater that falls upon it. Developers should not be permitted to profit from their constructions while leaving the municipality responsible for managing increased stormwater, likely leaving people in the flood zone standing in CSO sewage.

The dry land heats up worsening climate change when developers starve the land of water. Property owners must instead slow water down, return it to the ground where plants may draw to photosynthesize during the dry season, where groundwater may recharge rivers, and with water in the ground to prevent forest fires. Let’s improve the whale’s marine ecosystem with no more pollution, stormwater damage, and ocean heating from the land.

Returning past Race Point, a right whale raised its head high out of the water. Gray baleen plates hung beneath a white, encrusted black upper lip. In doing so, I don’t know what advantage was gained by the whale. I took it as a smile, as my smile was no less broad.

Nearly fifty years ago, on April 15, 1976, I was on the first Dolphin Fleet whale watch. We saw right whales and a humpback whale that the boat captain’s son would later name Salt when he became the boat captain. Since then, Salt has birthed 12 calves and is the grandmother of seven more humpback whales. There were then estimated to be 350 right whales. Today’s estimate is 372 whales, not including the ten calves born last winter.

I was on the first commercial whale watch because two summers earlier, I was alone on the deck of a 27-foot sailboat, south of Seguin Light off the coast of Maine. A right whale surfaced next to the boat. I babbled, having never imagined that something alive could be the size of a sandbar. The whale left only a circular slick spot on the water for the rest of the crew to see.

We are fortunate to be in the company of whales, which grace our sandy shores for about six weeks in spring. The loss of vegetation and soil on our properties and in neighborhoods is harming the marine ecosystem on which right whales depend to break their winter fast. To ensure future generations can share the ocean with a burgeoning right whale population, we must increase the carbon sponge on our land and stop stormwater runoff.

Breathe. Wheel. Flukes up. Dive. Swim on, whales!

Dr. Rob Moir is a nationally recognized and award-winning environmentalist. He is the president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute, a nonprofit based in Cambridge, MA, that provides expertise, services, resources, and information not readily available on a localized level to support the efforts of environmental organizations. Please visit www.oceanriver.org for more information.

More from Dr. Rob Moir

News

First North Atlantic Right Whale Sighting in The Bahamas

For the first time in recorded history, divers have captured footage of two North Atlantic right whales in The Bahamas, marking a rare and extraordinary event. The sighting occurred on April 15, 2025, near Bimini Island, offering groundbreaking insights into the behaviors and travels of these critically endangered whales.

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Encounter

The unexpected encounter was led by Captain Isaac Ellis of Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center during a routine dolphin-watching tour. The group spotted two right whales, later identified as Curlew (Catalog #4190) and Koala (Catalog #3940), adult females whose movements have been tracked for years.

“That moment for me was breathtaking, and I couldn’t fully gather myself. I thought it was fake at first. Once in a lifetime moment for sure,” said Captain Ellis.

Videos from the sighting were promptly shared with Dr. Diane Claridge, Executive Director of the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO). Claridge passed the footage to researchers at the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, where the whales’ identities were confirmed by the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium.

Credit: Janelle Van Ruiten Neal / Watsons Bimini Scuba Center

The Whales’ Incredible Journey

Researchers have been closely monitoring Curlew and Koala, documenting their travels since their births in 2009 and 2011, respectively. The pair were first seen together off South Carolina in November 2024. Since then, they’ve embarked on an unusual journey:

“These two are really on quite the swim about!” remarked Philip Hamilton, senior scientist at the Anderson Cabot Center. “It is fairly unusual for right whales to be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, and there are no recorded sightings of right whales in The Bahamas. What inspired them to make this journey will likely remain a mystery.”

A Critical Discovery for Endangered Whales

The sighting is particularly significant as North Atlantic right whales face severe threats from fishing gear entanglements, vessel strikes, and climate change. With only 370 individuals left, every encounter contributes to better understanding and conservation efforts for the species.

“Besides the unusual locations, it is also rare for two right whales to remain together for more than a few days unless it is a mother with her calf. Everything about this sighting is remarkable and exciting,” added Hamilton.

The sighting further enriches the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, a decades-long collaboration documenting whale movements since 1935. Contributions from organizations like BMMRO are vital to building a comprehensive picture of this species’ behavior.

Tracking Right Whales with WhaleMap

To follow the latest right whale sightings, the public can visit WhaleMap, an online resource managed by the New England Aquarium. This tool provides updates on whale locations and movements, offering a glimpse into the life of these majestic creatures.

Looking Ahead

As rare as this sighting in The Bahamas may be, researchers hope Curlew and Koala will soon make their way safely back to northeastern feeding grounds. Their journey serves as a poignant reminder of the mysteries surrounding North Atlantic right whales and the urgent need to protect them.

For additional photos and videos from the encounter, visit Pelagic Life’s official gallery.

ABOUT THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM

The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit research and conservation organization that has protected and cared for our ocean and marine animals for more than 50 years. We provide science-based solutions and help shape policies that create measurable change to address threats the ocean faces. We inspire action through discovery and help create engaged, resilient communities.

ABOUT THE BAHAMAS MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION

The Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the conservation of marine mammals in The Bahamas through scientific research and educational outreach.