On the floor of a remote island island lagoon halfway between Hawaii and Fiji, a giant reef site named Coral Castles that had been declared dead in 2003 is teeming with life once again. For conservationists, the magnificent news of the revival of this reef raises a serious question: If this coral reef can recover from such devastation, why can’t others? No one actually understands how a reef such as Coral Castles could revive so spectacularly, but all signs point to the 157,626 square-mile protected area created in 2008 that prevents shipping, as well as tourism and commercial fishing from entering the area. With such success, we should expect to see more governments make protected areas to save more coral reefs from further destruction.