Learn to Spot Coral Growth Forms
Corals are the foundation of the marine environment, but the diversity of coral species often gets overlooked. Looking for corals can be overwhelming. There are so many different shapes, sizes and colors to look for that it’s hard to know where to start.
In this series, Learn to Spot Coral Diversity, we will give you a few simple steps to follow to get you looking at corals with new eyes and how to become a coral spotter. Once you’re done reading these articles the reef will never be the same way again and you will find it easier to spot corals while diving.
Facts about corals
Corals are found in all the tropical seas of the world, and mostly in areas closest to shore, and closest to the surface between 1 and 40m. This is because corals need light to survive. There are two general types of corals soft corals and hard corals. To learn how to tell the difference between the two click here.
On reef divers, and in this series we will focus mostly on hard, photosynthetic corals. These coral build hard calcium carbonate skeletons that become the coral reef and are important for building complex habitats for fish. In fact you find over 25% of all marine species make there home in coral reefs! This is an impressive number considering they cover less than 1% of the ocean.
First Step to Becoming a Coral Spotter
In this series we want to give you simple tools to spot corals, and help you become a Coral Spotter! Coral spotters are divers and snorkelers that go out into the ocean with the intention of spotting coral diversity.
Now this can sound quite overwhelming considering there are hundreds of species of corals. But there is a simple trick you can use to start training your eye to spot corals. To learn more about the psychology of coral spotting check out this article from Dr. Laura Walton.
Anyways back to our simple trick. If you are serious about becoming a coral spotter your first mission is to learn to spot six unique growth forms of coral. This can seem overly simple at first but we promise, spend a dive learning to spot coral growth forms and your brain will start recognizing corals like never before.
Also remember that some corals are like chameleons and can take on a few different growth forms, so don’t get caught up in the idea of putting each coral in a specific growth box. Instead just try diving with the intention of recognizing these six growth forms of coral. Branching, encrusting, meandering, massive, plating, and solitary.
Let us know if the comments if you have tried coral spotting! What is your favorite growth form of coral, and which do you find challenging to spot? Next article will be about small polyp stony corals.
Want to know more about coral spotting or take a course with one of our training coral spotting instructors? Check out the Discover Coral Diving course at Murex resorts Sulawesi, or contact Ocean Gardener to learn about courses in Bali Indonesia.
