Bleached Porites and Acropora finger corals in a colorful reef

Color Lost: Gradual Coral Bleaching.

A vast reef features patches of bleached Porites and Acropora finger corals, their faded whites and pale yellows contrasting sharply with the darker, healthier corals around them. The Porites corals, recognizable by their rounded, knobby formations, and the branching Acropora finger corals create a textured seascape in this shot, each structure showing signs of bleaching stress while maintaining their characteristic shapes. Surrounding these pale corals, other sections of the reef add depth with muted greens and browns, providing a backdrop of varied coral species that still retain some color. Small black and yellow fish swim actively above and around the corals, exploring the open spaces and nooks within the coral clusters, injecting movement into the otherwise still landscape captured in this video clip. 

Striking Footage Captures Chromis Fish Swimming over Bleached Corals.

Filmed in high-definition 4K (2160p) and HD (1080p) resolutions, this free stock footage showcases rich detail and is available in both landscape (16:9 aspect ratio) and vertical (9:16 aspect ratio) formats. Its clarity and flexibility make it ideal for use on platforms like Instagram Reels, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, as well as in documentaries, environmental campaigns, NGO projects, and educational content focused on coral conservation and ecosystem health.

Coral bleaching doesn’t just affect individual coral colonies—it impacts entire reef ecosystems. Coral bleaching reduces biodiversity, as many species are directly dependent on healthy reefs for survival. Predatory fish, herbivores, and even algae depend on the delicate balance that corals maintain within the ecosystem. The decline in coral health can lead to cascading effects, where algae overgrowth occurs due to the lack of grazing fish, altering the habitat and reducing resources for other species. Over time, as bleached corals die and fail to regenerate, entire reef ecosystems may shift, resulting in diminished fish populations, loss of biodiversity, and decreased productivity of the reef.