This huge coral reef has only just been discovered, and it's undamaged by climate change

Scientists have discovered a pristine, three-kilometre-long reef of giant rose-shaped corals off the coast of Tahiti, in waters of the southern Pacific Ocean thought to be deep enough to protect it from the bleaching effects of the warming ocean.

The reef, which lies at depths of more than 30 metres,probably took around 25 years to grow. Some of the rose-shaped corals measure more than twometresin diameter.

"It was magical to witness giant, beautiful rose corals, which stretch for as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art," said French photographer Alexis Rosenfeld, who led the team of international divers that made the discovery.

Most of the world's known coral reefs are in warmer waters at depths of up to 25 metres, the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said. The reef off Tahiti lies in the "twilight zone" 30 to 120 metresbelow the surface where there is still enough light for coral to grow and reproduce.

UNESCO says the newly discovered reef is one ofthe largest in the world.

Bleaching is a stress response by overheated corals during heat waves. They lose their colour, andmany struggleto survive.

Perhaps the most famous Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage-listed wonder has suffered severe bleaching to an estimated 80 per centof its corals since 2016.

The discovery off Tahiti's shores suggests there may be many more unknown large reefs in our oceans, given that only about 20 per centof the entire seabed is mapped, according to UNESCO scientists.

"It also raises questions about how coral reefs become more resilient to climate change," UNESCO's head of marine policy, Julian Barbiere, told Reuters.

More of the ocean floor needs to be mapped to better safeguard marine biodiversity, Barbiere said.

"We know more about the surface of the moon or the surface of Mars than the deeper part of the ocean."