Discovery at Punta Gruesa

The lagoon at PG until now has been thought to only host a few small coral bombies and a huge expanse of seagrass beds. The seagrass provides a vital habitat for juvenile species to hide and grow, where they can then move to the reef when they become adults. However, these habitats are shallow and don’t prove to offer much of a dive, so we are always on the lookout for new areas of interest to take dives and snorkels when bad weather hits. Almost a full year after GVI moved to Punta Gruesa, a discovery was made that is going to add dramatically to the quality of no diving days! The buoys were placed for the boat pass, with two to get us out into the deep and then another to indicate where the pass out of the reef is. Between these buoys, no more than 100 metres in towards shore, we came upon a whole lagoon reef system hosting many of the juvenile species needed for fish monitoring, and also a large portion of the creatures needed for coral monitoring. There are also corals that are not at all common on the reef but are on the species list, therefore the new site will provide snorkel opportunities that will enrich the learning process and help to move expedition members to the monitoring stage.

How the reef was not discovered sooner is a mystery, as at low tide, the structure can be seen above the surface of the water, close to where the boats drive in order to get out of the lagoon! But it was a fantastic find, and hopefully there will be more of the same to be discovered up and down the coast.

Discovery at Punta Gruesa