A damaged trail of coral left behind in the wake of Cyclone Gonu, has changed the underwater landscape of some of the UAE's favourite diving spots.
In some areas, say dive instructors, large areas of coral – which provide food and shelter to marine life – were damaged or wiped out.
Dibba Rock, one of Fujairah's most popular sites, has lost more than half its coral.
“A large, shallow area which was earlier covered by coral was damaged, but there is still a lot of marine life left,'' said Ryan Todd, diving instructor at Al Boom Diving, Fujairah.
Jeffrey C. Catanjal, operations manager at the Sandy Beach Diving Centre said the damage at Dibba was “like someone had ground the coral''.
In other areas, like Snoopy Island, the damage was less severe as rocks protect much of the coral.
Still, casualties of the storm exist even at Snoopy Island, as Catanjal illustrated by diving 7 metres to collect coral ripped from the seabed. With three-baby lobster clinging onto the coral ‘branches', he estimated the coral was at least 15 years old.
Soft corals suffered the most, particularly at sites like Martini Rock. However, being a fast-growing species, it will recover if the conditions are right.
However, the storm has also had a positive effect on some of the diving sites, said Paul Sant, owner of Divers Down.
“Rocks that were covered by sand before have now been cleared. At Car Cemetery, the dive has gotten better. Cars that were covered with sand have been exposed, so it's improved the dive site.''
Leena Abbas, general coordinator for the Coral Reef Awareness and Monitoring Programme and a moderator of the Emirates Diving Association, said the organisation is in the process of compiling data on the state of the coral and will then compare this with previous records.
“Divers who are familiar with the area will notice changes caused to the marine life,'' said Abbas.
“We know for a fact that marine life recovers, but it depends on many factors. If there are additional industrial pressures, this will further delay the recovery period.''
However, Abbas feels divers should be more prudent.
“They need to be aware of the damage and be careful with the remaining coral reefs. A lot will depend on the instructions that diving sites give divers.''
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Emirates Diving Association (EDA) is running a Coral Reef and Monitoring Programme (CRAMP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water with the help of volunteers, to survey the various areas and report on the state of the corals.
