The reefs of the Gulf of Eilat are the only coral reefs in our country, and among them a wonderful and colorful world of corals, fish and a huge variety of unique creatures can be seen. The Coral Beach Nature Reserve in Eilat allows visitors easy access to the reef, as well as essential beach services, including a shop, showers, toilets, sunshades, deck chairs and sun loungers.

Main points of interest
 
- Wading pools – shallow pools near the shore, in which little children cana paddle.

- Bridges over the reef – bridges built over the reef, from which the coral reef and the colorful fish swimming around it can be seen. The bridges also offer safe access for diverse and snorkelers to the eastern side of the reef that faces out to sea, without damaging the reef and its inhabitants.

- Lookouts over the reef and the wildlife that populates it – visitors to the nature reserve can enjoy the beauty of the colorful creatures living in the reef even without being professional divers. With a diving mask and snorkel (which can be hired at the beach) it is possible to peek into the rich and amazing world and the protrusions of coral around the fringing reef.

- Scuba divers can dive along the façade and slope of the reef to see the wonders of the reef at the greater depths.

Wildlife

The coral reef is one of the largest natural structures created by living creatures, and the main contributor to its construction is the stone coral (Zoantharia). The corals and other creatures populating the reef, such as fish, crustaceans, sea sponges, echinoderms, and other invertebrates, create a highly diverse and complex living environment.

The Gulf of Eilat has unique environmental conditions that enable the development of the coral reef, the northernmost reef in the world. The elongated shape of the gulf and the fact that it is surrounded by high mountains creates a different wind regime from that of the deserts that surround it. As a result, the climate along the coast of the Gulf is stable throughout the year.

The water temperature is also high and stable (relative to other places), due to the high level of radiation and the depth of the Gulf, which goes down to around 900 m. The geophysical structure of the Gulf is characterized by the absence of continental shelf, and the incline of the seabed is a continuation of the steep continental incline. These factors are important for the development of the coral reefs, which usually exist in tropical areas where the climate is stable and warm.

The conditions that enable the existence of coral reefs at such a northerly latitude are also responsible for the unique nature of the reef in Eilat relative to other tropical reefs. The structure of the Gulf and the straits through which it is connected to the Red Sea (the Straits of Tiran), and the prevailing oceanographic conditions encourage the development of unique creatures. Many species on the reef are endemic, meaning that their distribution is limited to Red Sea coral reefs.

The variety of habitats in the nature reserve:

The coral reefs in the reserve create a large variety of habitats. Because of its position and depth, each one is characterized by different biotic and abiotic conditions, and these determine the composition of the community of organisms that populate it.

The habitats of the reef are:

The fringing reef in Eilat – a relatively young reef (around 2,500 years old), parallel to a relatively short section of the coast, about 1 km in length – the Coral Beach Reserve.

The upper part of the fringing reef is called the “reef table”. The reef table is very flat, and its height is determined by extreme low tide events that occur every few years, causing massive coral death in the upper section. Because the reef table is in very shallow water (less than 1 m at high tide), it is subject to many changes, mainly as a result of extreme low tide events and southern storms, in which the waves break on the reef and create mechanical erosion of its upper part.

The façade of the reef is the section of the fringing reef that faces eastward, to the open sea, and this is the most developed and diverse part of the reef, which usually has the greatest coral cover. This area too is subject to wave energy, breaking over it during storms.

The lagoon is the relatively shallow area (up to 2.5 m in depth) between the fringing reef and the seashore, and it is usually characterized by a calcareous sandy seabed with “patches” of reef scattered over it. Because it is relatively disconnected from the open sea, and because of the large surface area of the reef coming into contact with the atmosphere (relative to its depth), it is characterized by larger amplitudes and higher temperature and salinity than the open sea.

Coral protrusions are found both in the lagoon, and at a distance from the fringing reef towards the open sea. The reef protrusions in many cases enjoy good currents, and therefore are often very well-developed and diverse.

The reef incline is a section of the reef with varying coral density and cover, and it also has sandy areas. Because of the changes in water depth in this section, the quantity of light reaching the reef also varies. The variety of morphological and environmental conditions of this area can be seen in the wide range of micro-habitats, and in many cases produces considerable diversity of species.

The sandy seabed is the habitat of many different bottom-dwellers, such as arthropods, echinoderms, and a variety of fish. In some parts of the sandy seabed sea grass grows, providing a unique, important and diverse habitat.

A cross-section demonstrating the main habitats created by the coral reef in Eilat

A considerable biodiversity exists in the coral reef in the nature reserve. Around 100 species of coral are the main contributors to creating the breathtaking structure and habitat called the coral reef. For this reason, the reef-building stone corals are considered to be “key species” – species with a central impact on the overall ecosystem of the reef.

Other living beings populating the reef with a significant role in maintaining the ecosystem include the herbivorous reef fish, which feed on seaweed, regulate the quantity of seaweed and prevent it taking over the reef. Predatory fish also regulate other animal species. Another example is the sea urchin species, which find their food on the rocky surfaces of the reef, thus preparing the reef for settlement by young corals.

Many varied and complex systems of reciprocal relations exist on the coral reef. Because of this, causing damage to one of the species is liable to lead to a chain reaction and damage to the entire ecosystem.

The multi-hued reef fish are breathtakingly beautiful, but in addition to the pleasure they give to divers with their many unique colors, they also play a very important role on the coral reef. The herbivorous fish, for example, regulate the seaweeds populations that threaten to cover the coral and take over the reef. Many species of fish live in symbiosis (reciprocal relations / partnership) with the corals and with the other organisms that inhabit the reef.

Examples of this are the cleaner fish (Labroides), which feed on parasites that live on the reef fish, and wait at “cleaning stations” for fish in need of cleaning to arrive. The Steinitz Goby (Labridae) lives in partnership with a crustacean by the name of big-claw snapping shrimp (Alpheus djiboutensis). The two use a burrow dug out by the shrimp for their protection, while the fish serves as a scout and warns of danger. The two-band anemonefish (Amphiprion bicinctus), a unique species endemic to the Red Sea, lives among the stinging tentacles of the sea anemone (Actiniaria). In exchange for the anemone concealing the fish from predators, the fish increases the exchange of water around the anemone by moving its fins.

From time to time, passing species visit the Gulf of Eilat – creatures that do not live permanently in the Gulf, but visit occasionally (usually in an annual cycle according to the temperature, food, breeding season, and so on). 

Examples of such species are: sharks, including the whale shark (Rhincodon Typus) – the largest of fish, which may reach 18 m in length, and does not pose a danger to people; sea turtles (Chelonioidea), which feed on soft corals and sea sponges on the coral reef; dolphins (Cetacea) – large sea mammals that live in pods in the open sea and occasionally approach the shore; and mantas (Manta) – huge Batoidea that resemble birds and feed on plankton. 

Although the species are not regularly to be found in our area, and are not key species, they are considered to be “flagship species” – famous species that aroused considerable interest among the public, whose conservation will indirectly result in conservation of the overall ecosystem. The density of some species increases as a result of changes in environmental conditions on the reef, and if there is no element regulating the increase of the species, they become “invasive species” and are liable to affect the balance of the complex system of the reef. 

In this way, for example, the density of a coral-eating gastropod of the horn drupe (Drupella cornus) species increased sharply, and the possibility of initiating its removal from the corals was examined in order to reduce the damage. 

The findings show that despite the immediate damage caused by the horn drupe, it plays an important role in maintaining the biodiversity and, in practice, this gastropod almost exclusively harms the most common species, giving an advantage to the less common species, and so it was decided not to intervene in outbreaks of this kind.