A coral reef previously thought to be dead has been confirmed alive off the coast of Benin. Surveys from the 1960s had noted a possible deep-water reef but concluded it was likely lifeless. Using modern sonar and the Deep Sea Camera System from the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab, researchers located an apparently healthy reef more than 50 meters below the surface.
Lead author Gérard Zinzindohoué of the Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Océanologiques du Bénin described the challenging expedition, which involved extended time at sea and technical issues. Sonar signals suggested reef structures, and drone footage later revealed eight coral types along with eight fish species, including golden African snappers and Guinean angelfish.
The reef appears as scattered patches rather than a continuous barrier. Researchers noted this as the first confirmed living mesophotic coral ecosystem on the Gulf of Guinea continental shelf. They emphasized that further surveys are needed and that many similar features may remain undocumented. Direct sampling has not yet occurred, so species identifications require verification, and it is unclear whether the corals were dead in the 1960s before recovering.
