ABSTRACT
The ‘Coral Triangle’, encompassing the zones of maximum marine biodiversity on the planet, was formally recognized in 2009 at the World Ocean's Conference at Manado in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Location: Pulau Kusu, South Halmahera, Maluku The special glory of the Coral Triangle is expressed through the spectacular beauty of its shallow reefs. Surveys of fish on the deep and shallow reefs in the Coral Triangle have revealed surprising divergence with those in the Pacific. While around 500 species of fish have been recorded on the deep reefs down to around 100 metres in both locations, the shallow reefs of the Coral Triangle, with around 2500 species, harbour more than five times the number encountered in the shallow habitats of the Pacific. Location: Sauwandarek Jetty, South Pulau Mansuar, Raja Ampat 'The silent world' was famously coined at the advent of scuba diving in the 1940s by Jacques Cousteau to convey the novel and incredible experience that it offered.
