Scientists have discovered the largest coral ever recorded in the southwest Pacific Ocean and described it as being larger than a blue whale.

The mega coral, which is a combination of several small, connected creatures that together form a single organism rather than a reef, is likely more than 300 years old, according to BBC.

In particular, a videographer working on a National geographic A ship visiting remote parts of the Pacific found it. The person wanted to see how climate change had impacted them.

“I went diving at a place where the map said there was a shipwreck and then I saw something,” Manu San Felix said.

Additionally, he called his diving buddy, who is also his son Inigo, and they dove lower to inspect it.

Seeing the coral, which is found in the Solomon Islands, was like seeing an “underwater cathedral,” he said.

“It’s very emotional. I felt immense respect for something that stayed in one place and survived for hundreds of years,” he said.

Using a type of measuring tape underwater, the expedition scientists measured the coral. It measured 34 m wide, 32 m long and 5.5 m high.

As oceans warm due to climate change, corals face severe pressures globally.

Corals, often described as the “architects” of the seas, can come together to form vast reefs where fish and other species live.

Additionally, according to the World Economic Forum, coral reefs also support the livelihoods of a billion people, including supporting tourism or fishing.