Orange Cup Coral

Photo: Virgilio Buceo Huatulco · CC BY-NC

Dense colonies of orange cup coral festoon El Tejoncito's shaded wall faces from 8 m to 28 m, their brilliant orange polyps expanding fully at night to filter plankton from the current. Unlike reef-building corals, cup corals are azooxanthellate and thrive in low-light conditions, making this wall one of the most colourful in Huatulco regardless of cloud cover. Night dives transform the wall into a wall of flame as every polyp opens simultaneously.