Mother-Daughter Duo Uncovers Massive Reef Coral Giant

Quick Smiles:

• Mother and daughter spot 111-meter-long Pavona clavus coral, possibly world’s largest.
• Covers 3,971 square meters, dwarfing previous records like 71 meters in Nusa Penida.
• Estimated hundreds of years old, thriving beneath waves for centuries.

A mother-daughter team, Sophie Kalkowski-Pope and Jan Pope, discovered an extraordinary coral colony during a routine dive off Cairns as part of the Great Reef Census.

This massive Pavona clavus stretches 111 meters long across 3,971 square meters, surpassing known giants like one in the Solomon Islands at 34 meters.

“It’s just these meadows of rippling coral as far as the eye can see,” Kalkowski-Pope said.

They’re safeguarding the exact location while sharing details with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for protection and monitoring.

Researcher Mike Emslie from the Australian Institute of Marine Science believes the colony is “at least” a couple of hundred years old.

Celebrate nature’s enduring wonders and get involved in reef conservation efforts today!

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