Dive with
Best places to dive with Soft coral
Dendronephthya / Alcyonacea spp.
Soft corals, together with anemones and sponges, are the main reason the shallow Truk wrecks look alive rather than grey. Decades of growth have turned masts, kingposts and guns into colourful gardens.
Destinations ranked by how reliably soft coral is seen. The bars show the likelihood by month — never a guarantee. See the full species page for more.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Soft and hard corals have colonised the shallower wrecks and the shallower structure of the deeper ones, densest on the Okikawa Maru and Olympia Maru. Present year-round; growth is a wreck-encrusting community rather than a reef.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Soft and hard corals cover the fringing reefs around San Miguel Island and Bobby's Wall, with soft coral standing out against the white sand.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Soft corals cover the boulder reefs and pinnacles and encrust the HTMS Chang; the dominant reef-building character here rather than extensive hard-coral gardens.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Pink and purple soft-coral gardens define Stonehenge, Jabang, Seven Rocks and Koh Sarang.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
The signature marine feature of the shallow wrecks; best developed on the well-lit upper structures.