Hardy Reef Coral

Five dives on Hardy Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef, were undertaken on two consecutive days in spring during a ReefSleep overnight stay on ReefWorld owned by Cruise Whitsundays. Rather than document what we saw on any particular dive, it seems more useful to illustrate the large variety of corals, fish, nudis and other miscellaneous critters by type, so this 100m stretch of reef is covered in four parts: Hardy Reef Nudis, Hardy Reef Fish, Hardy Reef Coral and Hardy Reef Seastars and other critters. So take your time and read them all. This one is illustrates the great variety of Coral at Hardy Reef.

All around there are little clusters of branching coral, usually housing little headband humbugs. But not this one.

There are large thickets of Staghorn coral, the fastest growing coral, which make it easy for fish to slip away from me and my camera.

And stacks of acropora (pun intended), in great condition.

Periodically you’ll come across the nicely formed Brain coral

And lots of weird and wonderfully random shaped Lettuce coral.

Like the blue tinged branching coral, there is also Blue fringed plate coral.

And this elongated disk coral, which looks completely dead by day,

Comes alive at night with all the little animals coming up to feed.

Next time you pick up what looks like the dead top of a mushroom, remember it’s actually a living colony.

Another reef building coral, ahermatypic cup coral which covered the underside of the pontoon.

Looks more like a plant, but it is an animal.

Another marine structure, the humble sea fan, is also a colony of animals.