Living coral reef rediscovered off Benin after 60 years

Researchers have rediscovered a living mesophotic coral reef off the coast of Benin, an ecosystem previously presumed dead for six decades. Following 1960s fishing surveys that used primitive dredging and sonar, the site in the Gulf of Guinea was recorded as an underwater graveyard.

A scientific expedition led by oceanographer Gérard Zinzindohoué of the Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Océanologiques du Bénin revisited the coordinates using modern technology. The team mapped 11.5 kilometers of the seabed using side-scan sonar and deployed an underwater drone equipped with the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab’s Deep Sea Camera System.

The visual verification revealed a vibrant habitat at a depth of approximately 50 to 54 meters. The ecosystem hosts multiple species, including eight distinct coral types and eight fish species, such as Guinean angelfish and golden African snappers. The discovery highlights significant gaps in existing West African marine data and provides new information for regional conservation planning.