tl;dr: Beninese scientists have rediscovered a coral reef off West Africa's coast that was first noted in a 1960s fishing survey but never revisited, and long presumed dead amid global reef decline. Funded by a $20,000 National Geographic grant and using local fishermen's boats, the team confirmed a thriving mesophotic coral ecosystem 175 feet down, hosting at least eight coral types and eight fish species. Researchers are now pushing for the site to be designated a marine protected area.