This was my first scuba dive in the Pacific Ocean, and I was overwhelmed by the beauty
In 2022 I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the north shore of Oahu. While I was there I took a day trip down to the south shore to go scuba diving. I had two magnificent dives just outside of the Kewalo Basin Harbor. After a short five minute boat ride, we tied off at a buoy and plunged into the water to be greeted by a beautiful finger reef.
This was my first dive in the Pacific Ocean. I had been snorkeling before, but there is something different about actually being able to stay under the water and spend more time observing the natural world that exists there. I was overwhelmed with the variety of coral species that I saw, including this one that is known as cauliflower coral.
Cauliflower coral is also known as rasp coral or knob-horned coral. Its scientific name is Pocillopora verrucosa. It can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. You might be lucky enough to see it diving off the coast of Mexico or Madagascar! You can find cauliflower coral living in water as shallow as three feet or as deep as 177 feet, but most species live between three and fifty feet. It is also not normally found too close to shore or in lagoons because it is not very tolerant to sediment.
There are a few species of animals that feed on the tips of cauliflower coral: pufferfish, parrotfish, and filefish species. Hermit crabs are known to scrape the skeletal tissue. Butterfly fishes, angelfishes, and the Acapulco damselfish are all known to eat the coral polyps. The crown-of-thorns starfish will strip off and eat all the living tissue of a mature coral colony. While I was on this dive, we saw a crown-of-thorns starfish munching away on a coral colony.
You might be lucky enough to see cauliflower coral diving off the coast of Mexico or Madagascar!
Ocean acidification, bleaching, coral diseases, and climate change are the leading threats to this beautiful species of coral.
Cauliflower coral is a reef-building stony coral that grows in colonies of up to twelve inches in diameter. As evidenced in this photo, they have clubbed tips that are just under an inch thick. The coral polyps which make up the living soft tissue of the colony live in stony cups called corallites that are about .04 inches in diameter. The scientific name comes from the verrucae that grow all over the surface of the coral. Verrucae are wart-like growths.
The population of cauliflower coral is in decline around the globe. It continues to be identified by the IUCN Redlist as Least Concern because of how commonly it can be found and because of its resilience. Ocean acidification, bleaching, coral diseases, and climate change are the leading threats to this beautiful species of coral.
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