Jump in for a virtual tour
Cauliflower Coral Spawning
Kona Coast, Hawaii
Dive In
〰️
Dive In 〰️
Virtual Tour of Cauliflower Coral Spawning
May, 2024
Welcome to our recap and guided exploration of a cauliflower coral spawning event on the Kona Coast of Hawaiʻi Island. Spanning for several days, Hawaiʻi's waters become the backdrop for this moving and symbolic natural phenomenon, featuring the distinctive cauliflower coral (Pocillopora meandrina). Each year, these corals synchronize their spawning, filling the ocean with gametes (eggs and sperm), and offering the promise of new life and hope for the earth’s precious coral reefs. Scroll down and join us as we delve into this multi-day event!
Full Moon Behind Clouds | May 23, 2024 5:02am
The timing of cauliflower coral spawning in Hawaiʻi is closely tied to specific environmental cues, with the synchronization ensuring optimal conditions for fertilization and larval survival. Typically, these events occur in April, May, and/or June. The exact timing is often influenced by the lunar cycle, with spawning usually taking place a few days after a full moon. We embark on this journey on May 23rd as the full moon sets over the Pacific Ocean….
May 23, 2024
As full moon began to set over the Kona Coast of Hawaiʻi Island, it held the promise of heralding new life in the ocean. Cauliflower coral spawning in Hawaiʻi is closely connnected with the lunar cycle, and can occur several days after the full moon in April, May, or June.
This photograph was taken with a long exposure at 5:17am, about half an hour before sunrise when it was still fairly dark.
There are multiple ways to observe coral spawning, ranging from scientific monitoring with precision equipment to intentional and documented observation to accidental sightings. In fact, we’ve spoken to a number of people who, knowing nothing about spawning events, found themselves in the water trying to understand why the visibility dramatically decreased so suddenly!
Since our intention was to photographically capture and describe the spawning for the educational purposes to raise awareness and appreciation, we wanted to leave as small a footprint (or fin-print!) as possible on the event. So, we looked at vantage points on the shoreline where we could see the coral colonies from some lava rock perches, like this area:
The two coral colonies below were living in a shallow tidepool where they’re not often visible due to high surf and white water. However, the forecast for the next several days during the projected spawning times called for calm seas, low surf, low tide, and partial cloud cover, making this an ideal place to set up shop on the lava rocks each morning!
Observed Tidepool on a Particularly Calm Day
You can see bubbles on the water above the colony on the right. This shows you how clear the water is, and also how very close to the surface these two colonies are. In fact, during low tide, they were only two inches below the surface. Going forward we’ll refer to these two colonies as Coral1 (left) and Coral2 (right). They appeared almost identical in size, making us wonder if they might have been “siblings” from a previous spawning.
Observed Tidepool on a Typical Day
This photo was taken in early June, a couple weeks after the May spawning event, at low tide with 2-3 foot waves. It’s a bit tricky and slippery out there even on a calm day, but at high tide or with any surf at all, there is zero visibility. FUN FACT: The haze in the background is actually vog from the short-lived Kīlauea eruption on June 3, 2024.
May 24, 2024
Two Days Before Spawning
We wanted to do a dry run (or maybe a wet run!) to make sure we could safely set up our cameras close to the time of day when we expected the coral to spawn. This was actually quite valuable in that we learned a lot about positioning, wave action, and lighting, so we got all the bad shots out of the way ahead of time! FUN FACT: Note an ever-curious brighteye damselfish pop out to investigate!
May 25, 2024
One Day Before Spawning
There was a chance that there could be spawning on this day, so we arrived and set up the camera just after dawn. Here is a view from the lava rocks looking down— nice and calm at low tide.
We quietly watched for just over an hour but didn’t observe spawning. It’s possible that there was a light spawning during a time when wave action obscured the view, but if so, it would have been very short. Click the image below to see more closeup video of Coral1 polyps after observation was completed on May 25th.
May 26, 2024
Day of Spawning!
The tide was a little higher than the previous day, as was the surf. But, conditions were still favorable for observation and we were hopeful. After watching patiently for 25 minutes, a set of larger waves rolled in. About a minute later, we thought we caught a quick puff of spawning, but then in another two minutes, it was quite obvious! Several sections of Coral1 spawned sequentially, and Coral2 began spawning a few moments after that.
Click below to watch a longer sequence of Coral1 spawning. It’s a bit shaky, but still pretty exciting, lol!
While You’re Here…
Do You Have Any Photos/Videos to Share?
IF SO, PLEASE VISIT OUR DIGITAL CORAL ARK PROJECT AND GET IN TOUCH!
WE’RE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS FROM HAWAIʻI THAT:
have sufficient clarity and resolution to visually identify species of fish and/or coral.
can be identified by date and location (either by personal knowledge or embedded camera data).
are owned by adults 18 and over willing to grant permission to use in the historical database.
are from 2016 or earlier, especially (though contributions from all years are welcome!)
We welcome observations you would like to share or corrections you might note. Contact us!
Photo/Video credits: Christine Zalewski for Dear Ocean and Google Maps