For most of us, the Red Sea probably conjures a biblical image, if any image at all comes to mind. After all, how many of us have had the privilege of spending any time on or in this relatively tiny stretch of ocean?
Well, time to part the waters and reveal the mysteries that lie beneath. Diving the Red Sea as a scientist is a religious experience of sorts. It's pretty magical down here.
photo: R. Rotjan
To start with, it's beautiful. Relatively calm seas (despite our one day with 40+kt winds and rain... in the middle of a desert) mean clear waters with wonderful light penetration to the depths. These waters are teeming with Anthia spp. fishes, little damsels, clownfish, groupers, turtles, manta rays, dolphins... and of course, corals!!
photos: R. Rotjan
For me, the corals are always the star of the show. One of the most incredible coral experiences I've had here is my introduction to Xenia and Heteroxenia spp. soft corals that actually move (see the underwater movie posted below). Corals are animals that behave like plants and produce a hard calcareous skeleton. As a colleague of mine like to say, they are sea monsters: animal, vegetable and mineral all rolled into one. Corals are (usually) colonial, and have many polyps on a colony. Each polyp is a mouth (think of each polyp as an anemone--same idea, and corals and anemones are closely related). Many corals extend their polyps at night to feed, and keep them retracted during the day. But, these intriguing soft corals feed all day, pulsating to gather plankton and particulate matter from the water column wherever available. In other words, Xenia and Heteroxenia spp. showcase the animal side of corals--they visibly behave!
