David Hall / A Giant rock scallop (Crassadoma gigantea) encrusted with and surrounded by several other invertebrates, including White anemones (Metridium sp.), White mushroom ascidians (Distaplia sp.), Red soft co...

Alex Mustard / A shiver of Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) swim over a coral reef with Common sea fans (Gorgonia ventalina) and sea plumes (Pseudopterogorgia sp). Jardines de la Reina, Gardens of the Que...

Alex Mustard / A vibrant Caribbean coral reef with two Reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) and Common sea fans (Gorgonia ventalina) and sea plumes (Pseudopterogorgia sp). Jardines de la Reina, Gardens of the Queen Nat...

Georgette Douwma / Crinoid (Crinoidea) on Soft coral (Alcyonacea). Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Franco Banfi / Cuckoo wrasse (Labrus mixtus) male in front of Red sea fan, (Paramuricea clavata), Stupiste In dive site, Vis Island, Croatia, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean

Alex Mustard / Split level image of Leather corals (Sarcophyton sp.) flourishing in shallow water close to uninhabited coral islands. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram Sea. Tropical West Pacific Ocean...

Alex Mustard / Midnight snapper (Macolor macularis) shelters in a cavern on a coral reef with white soft corals (Scleronephthya sp.) and solderfish. Vavuu Atoll, Maldives. Indian Ocean

Jordi Chias / Primnoella soft coral, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Dead man's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) on a rocky reef with view of the sky, Shetland, Scotland, UK, August.

Alex Mustard / Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) male chomps on soft coral. Jackson Reef, Sinai, Egypt. Strait of Tiran, Red Sea.

Jordi Chias / Spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) just hatched from egg case that is on Seafan (Paramuricea clavata), Ullastres seamount, Costa Brava, Llafranch, Catalunya, Spain

Alex Mustard / Red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) resting on a yellow sponge, in front of red soft coral (Eunephthya rubiformis). Browning Pass, Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Canada. Nor...

Alex Mustard / Colourful reef scene with Leather corals (Sarcophyton sp.), Soft corals (Dendronephthya sp.) Seafans (Melithea sp.) and fish, including Magenta slender anthias (Luzonichthys waitei) and Scalefin anthi...

Franco Banfi / Hard and soft corals and encrusting sponge on the structure of bio-rock, Karang Lestari Pemuteran project, Desa Pemuteran, Bali Island, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean

Juergen Freund / Gorgonian fan coral (Gorgonaceae) in the shallow mangroves, split level. North Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Second Place in the Portfolio Award of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards Competit...

Alex Mustard / Diver exploring the wreck of HMS Scylla, which is colonized by Dead man's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum). Whitsands Bay, Cornwall, England. UK, July.

Alex Mustard / Common ghostgoby (Pleurosicya mossambica) with another fish in its mouth on soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.). Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia. Java Sea

Juergen Freund / Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) with red whip coral. Osprey Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

Alex Mustard / Close up of tiny (10mm) Pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) living disguised in Muricella sp. sea fan. Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Lembeh Strait, Molucca Sea.

Alex Mustard / Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) feeding on soft coral (Litophyton arboreum) Nuweiba, Sinai, Egypt. Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea.

Alex Mustard / Busy coral reef community feeding on plankton, with Scalefin anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), Soft corals (Dendronephthya sp.) and Fire corals (Millepora dichotoma), making up classic Red Sea scen...

Alex Mustard / RF- School of Scalefin anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) on reef in the current feeding on plankton, with soft corals (Dendronephthya spp.) and fire coral (Millepora dichotoma) Jackson Reef, Strait...

Alex Mustard / Busy coral reef community feeding on plankton, with Scalefin anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), Soft corals (Dendronephthya sp.) and Fire corals (Millepora dichotoma) Ras Mohammed Marine Park, Sinai...

Ingo Arndt / Compilation of various corals including many Fan corals (Gorgonacea sp) from collection at Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany.

Georgette Douwma / Coral reef scenery with a pair of Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus), Pygmy sweepers (Parapriacanthus guentheri) and soft corals (Dendronephthya sp) Egypt, Red Sea.

Georgette Douwma / Lyretail anthias / Goldies (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) over coral reef with soft corals (Dendronephthya sp) Egypt, Red Sea.

Ingo Arndt / Fan Coral (Echinogorgia sp) from Indo-Pacific, in collection at Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany.

Alex Mustard / Three hairy sea spiders (Tanystylum grossifemorum) feeding on red soft coral (Gersemia rubiformis). Browning Pass, Port Hardy, Vancouver Island. British Columbia. Canada. North East Pacific Ocean.

Franco Banfi / Close up detail of soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.) Maldives, Indian Ocean

Juergen Freund / Flexible Leather Coral (Sinularia flexibilis) spawning during the annual mass coral spawning event, in November, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Georgette Douwma / Yellowbar angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus) swimming over coral reef with soft corals. Egypt, Red Sea.

Brandon Cole / Woman (model released) snorkeling along edge of healthy coral reef with great diversity of hard and soft coral species. Indonesia, tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean February 2010

Brandon Cole / Leather Coral (Sinularia flexibilis) above soft corals (Dendronephthya sp.). Fiji, tropical Pacific Ocean.

Brandon Cole / A vibrant, busy coral reef with many species of hard and soft corals, a cloud of Scalefin anthias (Pseudanthias squammipinnis) fish swarming about, Fiji, tropical Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Amphipod (Iphimedia obesa) on top of a colony of Deadman's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) coral, Loch Carron, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, UK, April. Highly commended in the British Wildlife Photograph...

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Great spider crab (Hyas araneus) on Deadman's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) coral, feeding in a current, Loch Carron, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, UK, April

Alex Mustard / Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) lying motionless and camouflaged in soft corals. West Palm Beach, Gulf Stream, West Atlantic Ocean, Florida, USA.

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Skeleton shrimp (Caprella linearis) living within the polyps of Dead man's fingers soft coral. Bard Cave, Bressay, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK, June

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / A tiny amphipod (Iphimedia obesa) living on Dead man's fingers soft coral (Alcyonium digitatum) Loch Carron, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, UK, April.

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Colourful deadman's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) a type of soft coral, growing on a wall in Conservation Bay, Loch Carron, Scotland, UK, April. Model released.

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / A gully lined with the soft coral Dead man's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) growing beneath a summer canopy of kelp, Rosehearty, Moray Firth, Scotland, UK, June

Jeff Rotman / Alcyonarian Coral (Dendronephthya spp.) polyps open and feeding. Red Sea, Egypt.

Brandon Cole / An underwater tunnel rich in invertebrate life, including Raspberry Soft Coral (Gersemia rubiformis), Plumose Sea Anemones (Metridium senile), sponges, barnacles, etc. British Columbia, Canada, Pacifi...

Georgette Douwma / Soft coral and other invertebrates growing on mangrove roots (Rhizophora sp.) on the edge of coral reef. Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Tiny reef crab on soft coral, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Juergen Freund / Orange cup coral (Tubastrea faulkneri) detail of mouth and tentacles, Batangas, Philippines.