Snap shot

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FROM the first sight you might mistake this photo for tiny flowers with wonderful colours and shapes; however, these are not plants, but rather corals that exist throughout the Red Sea in Egypt. This shot, taken by Mohamed Ibrahim Habib, a marine environmental specialist and diving instructor, is among many in his book The Corals of Egypt. The book, funded by the NGO service centre of the USAID, is intended to deepen the reader's appreciation of the unique and wondrous life forms that make up coral reefs in the Red Sea.

The book is designed for both the recreational marine-life explorer as well as the marine scientist, and shows, through simple explanations and brilliant photography, exactly what makes Red Sea corals so special. It explains that corals are coelenterates, characterised by a single body cavity and opening, called coelenteron, through which food is both ingested and digested waste released. Living corals are made up of tiny organisms called polyps. Each polyp extends out of the skeleton to feed in beautiful and symmetrical movements resembling tiny flowers. While corals have many external plant-like characteristics, they actually belong to the animal kingdom.

The book proceeds to give information on the biology and ecology of the tropical coral reefs, focussing on Red Sea corals such as the classification of these corals, coral reef colonies, coral feeding, and coral reproduction.

However, the most important part of the book is dedicated to threats to the coral reefs in Egypt whether natural such as flash-floods, diseases, predators, bleaching and tides, or posed by humans and other activities. The book considers tourism as the most serious threat to the reefs both directly and indirectly through snorkelling and diving trips, boat anchors, landfilling, sewage, desalination, overfishing, destructive fishing, plastic debris and others. For that reason The Corals of Egypt concentrates its last chapter on describing the best practices and tips that should be adopted by snorkelers and divers to protect Egypt's wealth of corals and marine life. The author advises divers and snorkelers to avoid all contact with corals and other marine life as corals are delicate and even a gentle touch can harm them.

Gloves and kneepads are not allowed in the Red Sea as bare skin will help snorkelers and divers to be more careful about what they touch. Travellers should also secure all equipment, tucking in hoses and other gear, to avoid snagging on anything. Practising good buoyancy control at all times would help protect marine life in addition to good finning which could help avoid accidental contact with reefs, and stirring up sediments on the sea floor which could cause the coral to die from choking.

The book also stresses that snorkelers and divers shouldn't take anything, living or dead, out of water, except recent garbage and also shouldn't also touch, chase, harass, feed or try to ride marine life.