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Laetitia Hédouin, a researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Moorea, French Polynesia, first saw the corals months earlier during a recreational dive with a local diving club, she told the Associated Press. She immediately knew there was \"something special about that reef\" and that she needed to go back to study it.

Hédouin was especially struck that the corals looked so healthy and that they were affected by the 2019 bleaching event, she said.

\"PHOTO:
Alexis Rosenfeld/AP
PHOTO: Researchers for the French National Centre for Scientific Research study corals in the waters off the coast of Tahiti of the French Polynesia in December 2021.
>

Few scientists have been able to locate, investigate and study coral reefs at depths of more than 100 feet because of the challenges posed to divers and the length of time they can stay under, according to UNESCO.

The reef was found between 115 feet to 230 feet deep after the team was equipped with special tanks. They logged 200 hours of diving to study the reef, which included taking photographs, measurements and samples of the coral, AP reported. The rose-shaped corals measure more than 6 feet in diameter, according to UNESCO.

\"It was magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals which stretch for as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art,\" Alexis Rosenfeld, French photographer and founder of the 1 Ocean campaign, which led the diving expedition, said in a statement.

\"PHOTO:
Alexis Rosenfeld/AP
PHOTO: A researcher for the French National Centre for Scientific Research studies corals in the waters off the coast of Tahiti of the French Polynesia in December 2021.
>

Coral reefs around the world are currently under duress, Carlton said. While they are being impacted in many ways, climate change is \"the most prevalent\" stressor, she said.

Up to 14% of the coral reefs in the world were killed between 2009 and 2018, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Project.

\"PHOTO:
Alexis Rosenfeld/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: A newly-discovered reef of giant rose-shaped corals off Tahiti.
>

Coastal fishing, coastal runoff and the outbreak of disease are also causing widespread damage to the health of coral reef systems, Carlton said.

\"This type of discovery is really exciting because it might help shed light and might be able to help these corals recover after we have reduced some of these other stressors as well,\" she said.

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