Pillar Coral in Cozumel

Tall vertical columns rising from a common base, covered in a fuzzy brown coat of extended polyps — one of very few hard corals whose polyps stay out during the day.

Quick ID

Where You Will See It In Cozumel

Pillar Coral works the 16 to 65 foot band. On this island that means the sheltered west-coast reefs, and the shallow east-side entries when the sea is flat — these are the sites where the depth and the habitat line up for it.

Without a boat. It is worth looking for at Chen Rio, Coral Princess and El Islote — all shore entries, so you dive them on your own schedule.

On an ordinary beginner boat dive. It should be within reach at Chankanaab Bolones, Columbia Shallows, La Francesa, Las Palmas and Molas Shallow. No advanced certification needed.

Deeper, and on the walls. It is also plausible on Paso del Cedral, Punta Tunich, San Francisco Wall and San Juan.

Conditions change the odds more than the site does — the current, the time of day and how much the group has already stirred up the sand. Ask your guide what they have been seeing that week.

Behaviour

The daytime polyp extension makes it look furry, which is the fastest way to recognise it. Stony coral tissue loss disease has hit the species hard across the Caribbean, and colonies are now individually monitored in many marine parks.

Commonly Confused With

• Finger coral — Finger coral forms shorter, thinner branches with retracted polyps.
• Sponges — A brown fuzzy column is coral here, not sponge; sponges have visible openings.

Diving Etiquette And Safety

Critically Endangered and disease-affected. Keep well clear, do not touch, and follow any local guidance on gear disinfection between regions.

Part of the Cozumel marine life guide · see Cozumel dive sites · plan your Cozumel dive trip

Photo: Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.