Extensive thickets of branching coral - Davies Reef

Branching corals (Acropora sp.) can form large tickets in the sheltered areas of reefs. This photo shows large tickets in the middle of the reef lagoon on Davies Reef, where there is little wave energy to break the fragile branching coral. For these tickets to form the reef lagoon needs to have available reef subtrate, not sand, and for the reef to be about 5 m below the average sea level.  Reef top areas that are too close to the sea surface can become exposured at low tide causing the corals to die. These coral thickets are also easily damaged by passing cyclones that cause large waves to pass over the reef. 

Davies Reef - 14 July 2018

This photo was taken with a GoPro 6.