10 PRETTIEST Coral Reefs on the Planet

coral reefs are enormous naturally-occurring structures of astounding beauty vibrant mysterious and alive with aquatic creatures they're a popular tourist attraction people flock to them and dive down to get a closer look beautiful as they are did you know that coral reefs are actually skeletons of the undersea yes you heard that right coral polyps are tiny jellyfish-like creatures and they use a limestone to build a top skeleton that protects their bodies when you have millions of these tiny skeletons in one place you get a coral reef here are ten of the prettiest coral reefs on the planet number two the Great Barrier Reef located in Australian waters this is not only the largest but also the most well known reef it contains around 3000 individual reef systems and is about the same size as Japan it is so large that it can be seen from space the reef is estimated to be up to 2 million years old this stunning reef is located near the Australian state of Queensland and is a unesco world heritage site as well as one of the seven natural wonders of the world the reef attracts over 2 million visitors per year number none police Barrier Reef this coral reef too is a world heritage site it is a hundred and ninety miles long and occupies an area of 370 square miles it has over a hundred different species of coral and around five hundred different species of fish the Belize Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Belize it is a major tourist attraction with thousands of visitors per year unfortunately for reasons unknown a large portion of the reef is damaged and protection efforts are being initiated to reverse or at least control the damage that has been done number eight New Caledonia Barrier Reef located off the coast of northeast Australia the new calendar Nia Barrier Reef is named after its structure which is roughly parallel to the seashore and is separated by deepwater it is the second longest reef in the world with a length of about nine hundred and thirty miles that's about half as long as Japan the reef has the world's most diverse structure with a hundred and forty-six different types of coral in terms of coral and fish diversity the new calendar nian Barrier Reef is at least equal or possibly surpasses the Great Barrier Reef number seven Fiji's rainbow reef this coral reef lies between two Fijian Islands and contains over 230 varieties of coral and up to 1200 different species of fish the creatures found here are truly gorgeous from the electric blue ribbon eel to the majestic lionfish and of course stunning coral varieties such as the staghorn the rainbow reef is famous worldwide for the great white wall a dive location considered by divers to be one of the best on the planet number six the maldives coral reef made up of 1,200 small islands and blessed with wonderful weather year-round the Maldives have often been described as heavenly from majestic manta rays to the adorable butterfly fish the waters are teeming with Bannen you can't take your eyes off pretty though as they are they're nothing compared to the corals the cup coral brain coral and WIPP coral are all just a few of the wonderful varieties found in these islands the coral is threatened by warmer seawater and a couple other factors so conservation efforts are being put into action to protect this beautiful site and it's life forms number five Tubbataha reefs natural park located in the philippines this reef is considered one of the greatest diving sites in the world the reefs are pristine and colorful containing over 360 different species of coral and over 600 species fish in addition they have sharks dolphins whales and beautiful birds on a list of must visit coral reefs the Tubbataha reefs are definitely a feature the dive season at the reef extends from mid-march to mid-june when the weather is mild and the Cesar call number for red sea coral reef this reef is located in the red sea as the name suggests off the coast of Egypt Israel and Saudi Arabia the flora and fauna found here are unique with 10% of the creatures being found nowhere else on the planet the reef is estimated to be thousands of years old and is home to over 1,200 different species this reef system includes the dahab Blue Hole which is one of the most popular and dangerous diving spots on the planet locals estimate that in recent years as many as 200 people have died there number 3 Florida Keys reef the Florida Keys reef is the only living barrier reef in North America it is 700 miles long and houses 65 coral varieties with over 500 species of fish you'll find brain and star corals which are named after their shape at a depth of just about five or six feet some other beautiful varieties include the ivory Bush coral and the lettuce Cole fish species such as the French angelfish blue and Queen parrotfish goat fish Queen triggerfish and many others can be found here number two coral reefs and luck shad weed situated in the Indian Ocean the luck shad weep islands are surrounded by coral reefs of astounding beauty while not among the largest the coral reefs here are colorful and make for a memorable diving experience the pleasant weather local birds coconut trees pristine sand and the vibrant coral make for a truly winning combination dive through the clear waters swim amongst pretty fish and get up close and personal with enormous turtles and this wonderful coral reef number one Hawaiian coral reef located near the US islands of Hawaii this coral reef is home to many varieties of fish and other marine life forms while the list of varieties may not be long they're interesting all the same as almost a quarter of them are endemic to the islands whether the blue rice coral or finger coral they're all marvels of nature did you know that one of the biggest threats to coral is suntan lotion it protects the skin but chemicals like oxytocin which are found in most lotions can get absorbed by coral and lead to coral bleaching because of this places like white have outright banned certain sunscreen ingredients [Music]

Channel: What Lurks Below

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Keywords: coral, coral reef, coral reef video, marine life, diving video, types of coral, Belize barrier reef, The Great Barrier Reef, world heritage site, New Caledonia barrier reef, Fiji Rainbow reef, The Maldives coral reef, Tubbataha reefs, Red sea coral reef, Florida Keys reef, Coral reefs in Lakshadweep, Hawaiian coral reef, oxybenzone, reef, GREAT WHITE WALL DIVE SIGHT, coral reef creatures, prettiest beaches, types of coral reef, coral atoll, largest coral reef, fringing reef

Id: RBqIOqNW2kI

Length: 8min 8sec (488 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 22 2019