As I sit on the reef floor in about 15 feet of water, gazing around at the seascape, I remember the writings of 18th-century naturalists, who described the sea turtles, rays and huge fish teeming in these waters. I wonder what has happened. Large marine animals are rare now, and the world's third-longest coral reef, which once shone with health, is mostly covered with slime.
Algae coats almost everything, from live coral to rubble on the reef crest.
It seems to fill every crevice in the reef's limestone base. It even flies from blades of turtle grass like transparent pirate flags. There's dead coral everywhere. I'd say there's only about 5 percent coral cover in most places I've looked. Without that three-dimensional coral structure, other species in this area will drop dramatically.