Underwater drones find ‘dead’ West African coral reef alive after decades

A deep-water coral reef off the coast of West Africa that was believed to be dead for six decades has been discovered alive and thriving more than 50 metres below the ocean surface.The forgotten reef was first identified off the coast of Benin during surveys in the 1960s that were searching for good fishing areas. At the time, researchers believed the deep-water reef was dead and stopped investigating it.A modern expedition by the Coral Reefs Rediscovering and Exploration project in Benin (COREB) returned to the site using sonar and deep-sea imaging technology. Instead of finding a lifeless reef, the team discovered a healthy marine ecosystem filled with fish and coral species, according to a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science.High-tech breakthrough in the deepFinding the forgotten reef required working in difficult conditions at sea.