Close up of Smooth Flower Coral taken using my Sony Cybershot DSC T100. I have to say this little camera has served me well over the years, and travels well underwater with its marine pack. It takes the most amazing macro shots, and considering it is nearly ten years old I have to say it still does an amazing job compared to more recent models. I have in fact tried out some of these later models and their macro setting simply does not compare. As for Smooth Flower Coral, well, it is always a wonderful subject to shoot when conditions are right.
As a coral species, Smooth Flower Coral has large polyps, with very obvious corallites, even when the polyps are fully extended at night. The corallites are quite widely separated and so the individual polyps are also very clear. This pronounced corallite is very easy to identify too when washed up on the beach, with no other Caribbean species closely resembling it.
Originally posted on Instagram @sea_anguilla with the text: Macro shot of Smooth Flower Coral showing transparent tentacles wafting around from polyps waiting for a bite to eat to drift past. The reef really comes alive at night.