Tourism can also play a role, with swimmers and divers touching and damaging parts of the reef as well as leaving behind rubbish and contaminating the waters with sun cream and other pollutants. Rising sea temperatures and pollution leave the coral more susceptible to bleaching and, tragically, eventual death. Sadly, the reef is struggling to survive with climate change being the main threat. Visitors to the reef may be surprised that their boat trip could take between 45 minutes and 2 hours to reach the dive site so remember your travel sickness pills if it’s a windy day! ![]() A barrier reef is defined as a coral reef running parallel to the shore but separated by a large lagoon. Whilst coral reefs thrive in warm, shallow waters, these are not always close to shore. The reef is further out than you may think Corals are, in fact, nocturnal and it is under the cover of darkness that the polyps emerge from their outer casings to catch small creatures that pass by. The algae also give the corals their bright colours. The algae absorb light from the sun and subsequently feed the coral. These polyps survive due to their relationship with the algae that live alongside them. Corals gain their rock-like structure from the polyps as they use calcium and carbonate ions from the seawater to create a hard outer skeleton to protect their soft bodies. So what is a coral, you ask? Corals are formed by tiny creatures called polyps that have a sac-like body with emerging tentacles.
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