Exploration

A catalyst for change

In Saudi Arabia, the Edges of Earth expedition team meets the General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea. The pioneering group is at the forefront of coral and turtle conservation in a country just beginning to chart its path in this critical line of work.

Words by Andi Cross
Photographs by Adam Moore & Marla Tomorug

Our dive lights illuminated towers of coral climbing into the shallows, with shades of browns, greens, oranges, reds, blues, and purples that seemed too vibrant to be real. It was unlike anything we had seen – abundant and sprawling in every direction. Perhaps this was due to the fact that this dive site had not been accessible until 2019. While most of the other dive teams surfaced after 45 minutes, we stayed twice as long, unable to pull ourselves back to the surface from scenes that felt both timeless and fleeting. This set the stage for diving in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea for ten days, not only off the shores but also while living aboard a diving vessel in the vast open of this ancient sea.

Disconnected from the digital world with no cell reception or Wi-Fi, we found ourselves fully immersed in the seclusion of it all. Days blurred into nights spent chasing dolphins, marvelling at coral formations, and poring over photos from our dives while exchanging stories. Sleep came reluctantly, as the excitement of what we’d seen – and what awaited us – kept the whole boat lively. There with us was a team from the General Organization for Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea, known simply as SHAMS. This pioneering group is at the forefront of coral and turtle conservation in a country just beginning to chart its path in this critical line of work.

The SHAMS crew brought together experts from all corners of the globe, including a team of Saudi locals, each with years of experience in coral and turtle restoration, conservation, and ecosystem management. Their collective stories of where they’d been and what they’d encountered made certain that every meal was brimming with tales of challenges and triumphs. What struck us most, though, was the contrast between Saudi Arabia’s reputation and the reality of what we were experiencing firsthand.

Often dismissed as solely an oil-rich nation, Saudi is rarely considered a dive destination or conservation hub. Yet beneath these misconceptions lies something much deeper – a country home to some of the most resilient reefs on earth, brimming with untapped potential and in need of protection. For decades, divers and scientists alike have flocked to Egypt to explore its better-known waters, but Saudi’s Red Sea coastline remains a largely untapped frontier.

Tourism in Saudi is a relatively new concept. In fact, until 2019 visitors were generally restricted, with visas opening to travellers from just 49 countries. This new openness is part of a bold reimagining of the nation’s future, spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS) under ambitious future-proofing initiatives. For travellers, this presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater world that hasn’t yet faced the intense pressures of mass tourism. The Kingdom’s top-down approach to modernization has not only expanded access but has also placed a heavy emphasis on conservation to ensure that the natural resources opening to the world remain protected for generations to come.

Despite this natural richness, Saudi Arabia has long lacked a documented history of conservation or baseline studies to measure what once existed versus what remains today. But this gap is exactly where SHAMS fits in, moving quickly and methodically to fill the void of information. Tasked with charting and preserving the Red Sea’s biodiversity, SHAMS has assembled a global team to tackle the challenge with urgency. Their work represents a seismic shift in how Saudi Arabia approaches its marine ecosystems, making it clear that the Kingdom is serious about using science as a foundation for sustainable tourism and environmental stewardship.

Driving these efforts is what the Kingdom calls ‘Vision 2030, the country’s transformative roadmap for the future. Launched in 2016, the initiative aims to diversify the nation’s economy, reduce its reliance on oil, and build a sustainable future across industries. It outlines bold goals spanning renewable energy, tourism, urban development, and conservation. For the Red Sea, Vision 2030 is nothing short of revolutionary, prioritising the protection and restoration of biodiversity as both a moral obligation and a strategic pillar of economic resilience. This blend of conservation and economic imperatives makes Saudi an intriguing case study in how nations can reimagine their relationship with natural resources.

For many of the team at SHAMS, the decision to uproot their lives and relocate to Saudi Arabia stems from the unparalleled ecological significance of the Red Sea. The region’s unique geography, influenced by tectonic activity along the Great Rift Valley, has created fault-line reefs unlike anywhere else in the world. These formations not only offer incredible underwater landscapes but also foster distinct ecological conditions that support some of the most resilient coral species on the planet. Additionally, the deep-water drop-offs close to shore provide rare opportunities to encounter megafauna like manta rays, sharks, and dolphins, often within a short swim from the coastline.

But what truly sets the Saudi side of the Red Sea apart is its coral biodiversity. An estimated 6.4% of the coral species found here are endemic, meaning they exist nowhere else. These corals are uniquely adapted to thrive in some of the planet’s harshest marine conditions, enduring extreme temperatures and salinity levels that would devastate reefs elsewhere. This remarkable resilience has made them a critical focus for scientists seeking solutions to the global coral crisis, as these hardy species could offer insights into how reefs worldwide might adapt to warming oceans. The richness of this ecological coral cover has become a magnet for marine scientists and conservationists eager to study and protect these unique ecosystems. For many, the chance to work in an environment where so much remains undocumented – coupled with the urgency to preserve it in the face of growing tourism and development – is both a professional and personal calling.

During our ten days with SHAMS, we explored their cornerstone initiatives, each designed to build a stronger future for the Red Sea’s coral reefs. At the heart of these efforts is the Coral Reef Baseline Assessment, a foundational project aimed at documenting the health and biodiversity of these reefs. This exhaustive, three-year survey measures coral recruitment, disease, and overall ecosystem health. By generating a high-resolution dataset, SHAMS is laying the groundwork for effective, long-term restoration efforts. Coral reefs are vital to coastal protection, biodiversity, and industries like fishing and eco-tourism just as much as they are beautiful – but many are unaware of their significance. SHAMS is working to articulate the immense economic and societal benefits these ecosystems provide, framing their protection as not just an environmental priority but an essential investment in regional and global sustainability.

One of their key tools for conservation is habitat mapping, which offers detailed visual representations of the Red Sea’s underwater environments. These maps capture the distribution and characteristics of different reef ecosystems, providing the precision needed for targeted restoration work. In a region like Saudi Arabia, where baseline data on marine ecosystems has historically been sparse, this kind of mapping is vital. Without a clear understanding of what exists and where, it’s impossible to measure change, assess damage, or implement effective restoration strategies. Habitat maps fill this critical gap, serving as a foundation for long-term conservation planning.

The data also enables SHAMS to address threats like coastal development, desalination, pollution, and climate change – pressures that have left many reefs worldwide vulnerable to bleaching, habitat degradation, and biodiversity loss. By pinpointing risks and understanding the interconnected factors impacting these ecosystems, SHAMS can develop informed strategies to mitigate these types of risks. This enables the team to involve local communities and stakeholders to ensure that conservation efforts are both effective and sustainable, embedding them into the cultural and economic DNA of the region. This approach is propelling Saudi forward in marine conservation at an unprecedented rate, creating a replicable model for addressing similar challenges globally.

One enigmatic creature Saudi Arabia has paid a great deal of attention to in their conservation efforts is the sea turtle. Globally, these creatures face a multitude of threats, including bycatch, light and chemical pollution, habitat disturbance, and poaching of eggs. Protecting turtles is uniquely challenging due to their wide-ranging movement patterns and varied habitats throughout their lifetimes. Yet their importance to marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, cannot be overstated.

Hawksbill and Green turtles, the primary species studied by SHAMS, play a vital role in maintaining marine biodiversity – an aspect of their existence that often goes unnoticed. They graze on seagrass meadows, which prevents overgrowth keeping these habitats healthy and functional for countless other marine species. Hawksbill turtles, in particular, benefit coral reefs by feeding on sponges that compete with corals for space, thus promoting reef health and resilience. Female turtles further contribute to nutrient cycling through their nesting behaviours, enriching coastal ecosystems with the remains of hatched eggs.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to position turtles as iconic ‘mascots’ reflects a deliberate strategy to highlight their ecological and cultural significance. As a symbol of the interconnectedness of marine ecosystems, turtles serve as an accessible and charismatic entry point for public engagement and conservation advocacy. Framing these creatures as a national emblem allows SHAMS to create an emotional and economic incentive to protect them.

SHAMS’ turtle conservation efforts extend from scientific study to direct intervention. The organisation conducts nesting surveys both onshore and at sea and has established Saudi Arabia’s first sea turtle rehabilitation centre located at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, also known as KAUST. This state-of-the-art facility, called SHAMS Sea Turtle Hospital, combines global expertise and advanced techniques to care for injured or vulnerable turtles. And with tourism steadily rising, SHAMS is ensuring that turtles thrive as a flagship species in Saudi.

Completing our final dives in Jeddah, the magnitude of what SHAMS is working to achieve became even clearer. They’re still in their infancy, yet they’ve already set an extremely high bar for conservation and restoration – in a country that only in the past six years opened its doors to the wider world. The Red Sea, with its unmatched coral resilience and iconic sea turtles, is becoming a focal point for global conservation – and SHAMS is positioning itself right at the centre of it all. In a world where fragmented efforts often stall progress, Saudi’s unified approach – where government, scientists, and communities work in tandem – felt refreshing to us, helping to reframe how we should be looking at conservation work in the modern world.

In our opinion, the future of conservation depends on this kind of alignment. We need bold leadership, coupled with on-the-ground expertise, to achieve critical change. And as Saudi continues to grow its efforts, this is undoubtedly a conservation hotspot for all of us to watch. The Red Sea’s story goes well beyond Egypt, and is very much about the possibilities stemming from the sustainable cities of tomorrow. What’s next for this region, and for SHAMS, has the potential to redefine how the world approaches marine conservation. For those of us who have seen it firsthand, and in its earliest days, one thing is certain: the possibilities are endless.

 

Photographs by Adam Moore & Marla Tomorug

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