Acropora Table Coral

Photo: MDC Seamarc Maldives · CC BY-SA

Table corals at Obyan reach 2 m in diameter in the shallower sections of the reef, their flat upper surfaces hosting small goby species and dottybacks that dart between coral branches when disturbed. These corals are among the most bleaching-susceptible in the Indo-Pacific, and their abundance at Obyan — despite El Nino events that have bleached adjacent reefs — suggests that the cooler upwelling around Saipan's south coast provides a degree of thermal refuge.