Join us for a celebration of one of nature’s most spectacular marine events—coral spawning!
One night a year, when the lunar phase and the water temperature are just right, all rice corals (Montipora capitata) across the reef ecosystem simultaneously release eggs and sperm. The abundance of these gametes swirling around in the water column resembles a snow flurry.
Beautiful and awe-inspiring to witness, this singular event is an essential part of the reef’s life cycle. Fish and invertebrates feed on the drifting gametes. Surviving larvae form new coral colonies. The resulting reefs provide shelter for juvenile and adult fishes, and the cycle of life continues.