Making Time for Coral Analysis

Despite being busy with divers, Miguel’s Diving also receives requests to help in scientific research projects. We are assisting in a coral analysis research project on the hard coral colonies living in Gorontalo. The coral analysis project began earlier in the year profiling the coral composition of the reef using measurement tape. We just sent underwater photos and samples of 30 hard corals to the researcher at Universitas Gadja Madah in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Rather than damage the lovely hard corals found in Gorontalo reefs

, we picked through patches of coral rubble to match the type the research wanted. In Gorontalo seasonal storms break some sections of coral colonies, which collect in certain troughs. These areas of rubble are natural and not the result of negative human actions. Rubble areas here are in fact home to specific types of marine life, such as Fairy and Flasher wrasses. Best wishes to Mas Akbar Reza on his coral analysis research project!