The Andaman Reef

The Andaman Reef has a long history but it was the 2004 tsunami that changed everything. Once a carpet of brilliant corals, the giant waves broke many of the huge colonies off of the reef edge and sent them crashing towards the shore.It’s taken a few years for natural recovery to begin and now the great efforts of staff and guests alike to clear the broken coral rock out from in between the living colonies are changing the reef’s appearance.

One of the most interesting discoveries is a ‘nursery’ of tiny Staghorn corals scattered over a hundred square meters or more. Some of these little corals are only a centimeter in diameter and have only half a dozen tiny polyps. But, given the right conditions, they can grow 5 – 10 cm per year.

The Andaman Reef has been really showing us its best side for the last few months. Great tides have made reef exploration much easier and we have found some incredible little creatures.

The Andaman Reef has a long history but it was the 2004 tsunami that changed everything. Once a carpet of brilliant corals, the giant waves broke many of the huge colonies off of the reef edge and sent them crashing towards the shore.

It’s taken a few years for natural recovery to begin and now the great efforts of staff and guests alike to clear the broken coral rock out from in between the living colonies are changing the reef’s appearance.

One of the most interesting discoveries is a ‘nursery’ of tiny Staghorn corals scattered over a hundred square metres or more. Some of these little corals are only a centimeter in diameter and have only half a dozen tiny polyps. But, given the right conditions, they can grow 5 – 10 cm per year.