scubaseason

Sea Fan

Annella mollis

Sighting evidence at Late Island Wall, Vava'u, Tonga

Large Annella sea fans up to 2 m across cover the wall's vertical face from about 15 m down, oriented perpendicular to the prevailing current to maximise their polyp-feeding surface area. They host pygmy seahorses, allied cowries, and longnose hawkfish in their branches, rewarding divers who spend time hovering in front of each colony rather than swimming along the wall.

Evidence at this site

No confirmed records on file at this site

Sea Fan is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Also seen at other sites