Monaco’s Prince Albert II this week visited the Solomon Islands where the largest coral in the world has been discovered. Along with American actor Leonardo di Caprio, the Prince joined National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team to find out more about the exciting discovery that’s so big it can be seen from space (although also so well hidden that even the locals didn’t know of its existence)!
Prince Albert II took an exciting trip in a submersible with Monegasque free-diver, Pierre Frolla, to view the spectacular coral.
The prince also held discussions with Di Caprio and Pristine Seas’ expedition leader Enric Sala about the importance of Protected Marine Areas. (Pristine Seas has played a key role in creating 29 of the world’s largest marine protected areas.)
An elated Sala said:
“Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet earth, we find a massive coral made of nearly one billion little polyps, pulsing with life and colour.”
Royal and Hollywood Commitment to the Ocean
Both Prince Albert II and Hollywood star Di Caprio have a long history of striving to protect the planet’s oceans, and in 2017 Di Caprio was honoured by the prince’s Foundation for his “outstanding work to protect and preserve our shared planet” at the inaugural Monte Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean (now called the Monte-Carlo Gala for Planetary Health).
Prince Albert II is the only head of state to have travelled to both the North and South Poles, according to his foundation’s website. It’s a commitment to the planet that runs in the family – the prince says it was his great-great-grandfather (Prince Albert I) who wanted Monaco to create an Oceanographic Institute “with a clear roadmap: to make people love, know and protect the oceans.”
If you’re in Monaco, you can visit the Oceanographic Museum every day except Christmas Day (25 December) and the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.
More info here: https://musee.oceano.org/en/practical-info/
Fun facts about the largest coral in the world:
- It’s the size of two basketball courts, and is three times larger than the previous record-holder), according to Pristine Seas.
- National Geographic reported that it’s so large that the when the Pristine Seas team first spotted it, they thought it was remnants of a shipwreck.
- The coral is believed to be at least 300- to 500-years-old.
The prince visited the Solomon Islands during his Asia-Pacific tour, which ended yesterday in Singapore where he met with key stakeholders to discuss blue economy (sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth), particularly plastic recycling.
