Coral spawning creates red sea in Addu
16 Dec 2009, 1:47 PM
Spawning coral have turned patches of ocean pinkish red around Villingili island on Addu atoll, in photos released by the Shangri-La resort’s Eco Centre.
Manager of the Eco Centre Estelle Davies said the phenomenon was very interesting because the coral were spawning in December according to southern hemisphere patterns.
“The only documented coral spawning in the Maldives is during March and April, which I believe is synchronous with northern hemisphere timing,” Estelle explained. “So even though Addu is part of the Maldives, true to its position, it seems to be following the Southern Hemisphere spawning [patterns].”
Estelle said islanders in the area had described similarly coloured water in previous years, but had been unsure what it was.
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