Coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico, off Texas coast, USA

These photographs of the coral spawning were taken in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas in the United States in the reserve of Flower Garden to 160 kilometers (100 miles) of the coast. This phenomenon can be observed every year during the night approximately 7 to 10 days after the full moon of August. The largest coral colonies are brain corals. The male corals release their "seed" which looks like smoke while the corals females release their eggs in full water. It is an annual phenomenon and perfectly synchronized: the males release their seed approximately 15 to 20 minutes after the females finished “to lay”. The eggs will be fertilized in full water in the currents of the Gulf of Mexico. Each coral species has its own window to reproduce and the others will wait until this window is finished for releasing in their turn their seed. The reproduction of the coral is done by successive waves depending on the species. The phenomenon of reproduction depends on the temperature, the lunar cycle, the hour of the night.

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The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.
The coral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico in United States. Photographs by Amar Guillen.

The wreck of Salem Express, Red Sea, off Egypt

The wreck of Salem Express of the coast of Safaga in the Red Sea in Egypt.
The wreck of Salem Express of the coast of Safaga in the Red Sea in Egypt.

The Salem Express ran in 20 minutes on December 15, 1991. 470 people will drown and 180 will survive. This terrible tragedy occurred off the town of Safaga in Egypt in the Red Sea. The passengers were pilgrims returning from a trip to La Mecque to Saudi Arabia. Today, it is a marine cemetery because all the bodies were not found and it is strictly forbidden to penetrate inside by respect for the families of the missing people. Salem Express is 115 meters long for a width of 17,83 meters and a draft of 4,92 meters. It is a very large wreck which it is impossible to discover in only one diving more especially as it rests on its side on a sandy bottom of 30 meters.

The capricious weather and the strong currents do not make it possible to dive every day on this site.

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  1. The wreck of Thistlegorm in Red Sea, off Egypt
  2. Lake Abbé, Djibouti, Horn of Africa
  3. Fish of Marsa Shagra in the Red Sea
  4. Egypt. Red Sea. The Cave of Shaab Claudio

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