Leafy Coral

The leafy coral is also known as the Pachyseris. It features on Sindbad's house reef and lower reef slopes in the Red Sea, from pale brown to deep grey, often with pale margins.

 

Lobed Brain Coral

Its scientific name is Lobophyllia hemprichii, in honor of Wilhelm Hemprich, who was among the first scholars to study the marine life of the Red Sea. She has been described as a 'fleshy dome-shaped hard coral with large teeth' and decorates the house reef of Sindbad.

 

Mushroom Coral                                                                          

Here we have the 'fungia scruposa', better known as the mushroom coral. It is known to have nibbled on jellyfish like a 'predator'. It's a small and flat coral, having variable colors. It also appears at the Dive Base Academy destinations.

 

 

Mountain Coral

Mountain corals from the Porites sp. genus are so-called SPS corals, meaning small polyp and stony. Their growth rate is prolonged, but they still contribute to developing the house reefs of the Dive Base Academy.

 

Cauliflower Coral

This is a stony coral from the Pocillopora genus, also commonly known as a brush coral and sometimes as raspberry coral. They have wart-like growths on their surface and vary in color and shape. The cauliflower coral can be spotted with the Dive Base Academy on a diving trip.

 

Rose Coral

The stony rose coral can be found in shallower waters near the Dive Base Academy, sometimes as small solid heads and sometimes as unattached cone-shaped forms.

 

Serpentine Salad Coral

The serpentine salad coral or the disc coral is a stony variety, also featured on the house reefs of the Dive Base Academy. It can be found in colonies, easily recognizable by its salad-like structure.

 

 

 

 

Soft coral, Dendronephthya hemprichi

This soft coral variety is expected in the Red Sea. This species takes in water to expand its body before feeding. It gently waves in the current, probably benefiting from the oxygen flow.

 

Sea Fan

The sea fan is a soft coral known by its Latin name, Subergorgia hicksoni. It is a familiar coral in the Red Sea and can also be found at the Dive Base Academy destinations. 

 

Staghorn Coral 

When you have seen a fully-developed antler of a deer, you have seen the shape and structure of the yellow-brownish reef-building staghorn coral. The staghorn coral is a favorite hide-out for fish to escape from aquatic hunters. You can see this for yourself when diving with the Dive Base Academy. 

 

Table Coral

Like the staghorn coral, the table coral is classified as an 'Acropora'. It can reach the size of a dinner plate or even a dinner table. Table corals come in four colors, red, green, blue, and purple. They can be seen at many diving destinations the Dive Base Academy frequents.