Sea fans & gorgonians

Gorgonian sea fans are some of the most photogenic structures on the reef — vivid reds, yellows, and purples fanning out in the current. Look closely and you'll find pygmy seahorses, basket stars, and other tiny creatures hiding among the branches.

Last updated April 2026

Violescent sea-whipParamuricea clavata26 photos

VulnerableUp to 100 cm15–60mRocky reef

A magnificent fan-shaped colony of purple-red polyps on a flexible, branching skeleton. The Med's most iconic gorgonian, turning deep walls into underwater gardens.

Grows on current-swept walls below 15m, oriented perpendicular to the flow — extremely fragile and slow-growing. Maintain buoyancy to avoid damaging colonies.

Observed at

Ullastres III(Palamós)Ullastres I(Palamós)Tascó Petit(Illes Medes)Pedra de Déu(Illes Medes)Ullastres II(Palamós)Els Canons de Tamariu(Begur)Ferranelles(Illes Medes)Dofí Nord(Illes Medes)

Orange gorgonianLeptogorgia sarmentosa8 photos

Up to 100 cmRocky reef

A Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic gorgonian (soft coral) that forms flexible, sparsely branched fan-shaped colonies reaching up to about 1 m tall. Colonies are most often bright orange but also occur in yellow, white and purple forms, growing on rocky substrate and coastal detrital bottoms.

Observed at

La Virgen(Costa del Maresme)Torre Ferrer(Costa del Maresme)Las Planetas(Sant Feliu de Guíxols)Túneles de Port Salvi(Sant Feliu de Guíxols)

White gorgonianEunicella singularis3 photos

Observed at

Barra de l'Arbre(Costa del Maresme)La Calzada(Costa del Maresme)Las Planetas(Sant Feliu de Guíxols)Tascó Petit(Illes Medes)

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