Maldives - Lankan Faru

Coral cover

Coral cover: 16% — photo-derived, and the two methods disagree by 13.1 pp; treat cover as a range (9.2–22%). This site's figure is the mean of two independent computer vision passes over Anderson's own frames: a DINOv3 calibrated point classifier reads 9.2% and a CoralSCOP computer vision reads 22.3%, a spread of 13.1 percentage points. The map publishes the mean so sites can be sorted against one another, but the honest statement of what is known here is the 9.2–22% range: the two products have different denominators and should not be treated as one measurement.

Stressors

Down on the reef a quieter drama played out: crown-of-thorns starfish lurking in crevices — one caught red-handed under a plate coral — beside the fresh white feeding scars they'd left, while striped sweetlips watched it all from under a ledge (e.g., Image 2, Image 3, Image 8).

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Fish and other fauna

Two dawn visits to a working manta cleaning station, and the mantas kept office hours both days. Divers tucked in low behind a rubble ridge — one frame shows a reef hook doing its job — while reef mantas queued overhead: singles hovering with head-fins unfurled as cleaner fish serviced them, then pairs, then three in frame at once, some gliding close enough to pass through rising bubbles (e.g., Image 1, Image 10, Image 14, Image 19).

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Spotted eagle rays crashed the party too, one sweeping by with its absurdly long tail streaming like a banner (e.g., Image 21).

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Comparisons with other data

No independent survey was made at this exact site; the nearest ones are listed in the table below.