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Giant coral colony discovered in Red Sea tourism hotspot

A huge colony of Pavona coral near the coast of Saudi Arabia is thought to be the largest living example found in the Red Sea

By Madeleine Cuff

22 April 2025

The newly discovered colony of Pavona coral in the Red Sea

Red Sea Global

Researchers have discovered a giant coral colony on the north-western coast of Saudi Arabia, in a part of the Red Sea that is being developed as a luxury tourist resort.

The colony, a feature within a reef made up of one specific type of the tiny coral-building animal known as a polyp, is suspected to be of the species Pavona clavus and measures approximately 30 metres by 21 metres, making it probably the largest discovered in the Red Sea.

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