Coral in all her glory

Remember that feeling you got when you were a kid, and on Christmas morning you looked under the tree and found the very present you had asked Santa to bring you? That is the feeling that everyone on the Finding Coral Expedition experienced yesterday while diving in Juan Perez Sound in Haida Gwaii.

Two members of our research team, Greg Workman and Sheila McKenna, took the subs down to 1000 feet and found a grove of the most glorious Primnoa corals. Over a meter tall and two meters wide, these brilliantly red corals swayed in the currents and danced on the edge of large boulders.

These are not the only corals that exist in B.C. We have found over 10 species including bamboo, swiftea and other Primnoa corals. But what we found yesterday was coral in all her glory: large, vibrant, bright, and dynamic. It was breathtaking.

When we set out to find coral on this trip we knew that we were trying to find a needle in a haystack. Yesterday we found the proverbial needle and the energy on the ship was electric. We were, and still are, in awe of the corals' beauty. We are relieved to know that some of this coral still remains intact. We are feeling as though we are accomplishing what we set out to accomplish. And we are invigorated and ready to search for more coral.

We have four more days of diving before this adventure comes to an end and we begin steaming back to Vancouver. Later today we will leave Juan Perez Sound and head north and explore Dixon Entrance. But even if the coral eludes us in future dives, we can always hold on to the thrill of yesterday.

As I lay in bed last night I drifted off with visions of coral dancing in my head. Christmas has come early.

~ Jennifer Lash