Scientists Hail Discovery of Giant, Thriving Coral Colony in Australia

Marine biologists are celebrating the discovery of a soccer-pitch-sized coral colony. It was found by a 26-year-old Australian woman and her mom in late 2025 on the Great Barrier Reef. Experts say it could be the world's largest.

The Pavona clavus colony they found is a bright moment in what has mostly been a sad story about the loss of the world’s coral reefs. Corals are endangered. Rising ocean temps due to climate change have threatened most coral in the world.  

“We had no idea that something so significant was right here on our doorstep,” Sophie Kalkowski-Pope told The Guardian.  

Kalkowski-Pope works for Citizens of the Reef. It's a nonprofit. Kalkowski-Pope is a marine operations coordinator. She and her mother, Jan Pope, made the discovery. Pope is an underwater photographer and veteran diver. The “citizen scientists” were taking part in a project to survey the largest coral reef system in the world. That's when they found the giant coral field.

Pope told The Guardian, “It looks like a rolling meadow.” 

Kalkowski-Pope said the reef likely went unseen for so long because it’s in a spot where the diving is very tricky. Citizens of the Reef has not released its exact location. It wants to ensure that the coral remains untouched. Experts say the reef could be hundreds of years old.       

The find comes amid a crisis for coral driven by climate change. Major heatwaves in the world's oceans have caused widespread bleaching. In fact, it's struck more than 80% of the Earth’s reefs.   

Michael Sweet told CNN that the find is special, given its timing. He noted that it comes "in a time where many corals are really struggling." Sweet is a professor at the University of Derby in England. What gives him hope is seeing a type of coral "not only survive but flourish."

Reflect: Scientists chose not to publish the location of the huge coral reef they found. Why do you think they made that decision, and what might have happened if they did publish it? 

Gif of coral reef courtesy @bbc on Giphy.