A new discovery of thriving coral reefs off the coast of Puerto Rico may offer hope for other shallower reefs. Scuba diving scientists discovered sprawling and diverse coral reefs at 100 to 500 feet (30 to 150 meters) below the ocean surface within a 12-mile (19-kilometer) span off the southwestern coast near La Parguera, Puerto Rico. With the overall health of shallow coral reefs and the abundance of reef fish in Puerto Rico in decline, this finding brings hope that deeper fish stocks may help to replenish stocks on shallower reefs. These mesophotic ecosystems — 'meso' for middle and 'photic' for light — are the deepest of the light-dependent coral reefs. Too deep for exploration with traditional scuba gear, these reefs have until recently remained largely unexplored because of the cost and technical difficulty of reaching them. Advances in diving techniques allowed scientists to safely dive and conduct the new survey. more Huge Coral Reef Discovered off Puerto Rico | Ocean ecosystems | LiveScience
