Coral Bleaching in the Maldives??

[mattiedread]

I have heard that the coral bleaching in the Maldives is very bad, to the point where you can dive for days and not see any live coral. I'm suspect of this, can anyone confirm or deny the extent of coral bleaching... and where it is worst in the Maldives?
Thanks
Matt

 

[exnewwavedivers]

Coral bleaching affected most of the tropical region from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.

 

[mattiedread]

Yes, but does anyone know how badly? I've never seen the effects of bleaching, my uneducated thought was that it would hit pockets of coral, not entire reef systems.

Has anyone been down in an area affectted? I would assume once the coral life disappears, it is only a matter of time before the base of the food chain is gone; also an uneducated guess.

 

[socaldiver]

On another board something about the bleaching in Maldives. From the gest of the conversation I believe at one time it was not looking good but the one person who was giving a dive report indicated it was recovering and there was a decent marine life there. I don't remember all that they reported. I believe it was on http://www.scubadiving.com but I'm not sure. I will see if I can find the thread and post it for you.

 

[wishihadgills]

From a guidebook that I read, they stopped bleaching the corals but it also states that outside the more popular areas, it still takes place illegally.