We’ve been growingAcropora tenuis在数百万年内，已有20多年的历史了，并且已经漫游了印尼礁超过25年。因此，我们可以说我们已经看到了我们的Tenuis份额，但是有些殖民地在我们的记忆中有特殊的位置。有点像一个老朋友，我们总是喜欢拜访他们，看看他们的表现如何。
10年前，我们第一次见面。我记得看到这个白色的4-5米高，远处的巨大珊瑚质量。我向右游动，慢慢意识到这是一个杂波，然后几秒钟后，它实际上是一个Acropora tenuis. I couldn’t believe it as I didn’t expect this species there. It’s a bit too deep forAcropora tenuis，大约14-18 m（40-55'）通常偏向于10 m以上（30'）的浅水。
它的大小不像我以前见过的任何东西，因为它很大。我们很少能比一米（3'）宽的殖民地获得殖民地，但是这个殖民地只是一个怪物，我们以前看不到类似的怪物。高3-4米（9-12'）长3-4 m（9-12'）的高尖齿tenuis高高。它在水下斜坡之后的楼梯上以层面上的层层生长。
The coloration of that particular colony is not amazing like manyAcropora tenuiswe see now and are used to. But nevertheless, it does show a few characteristics of a small potential under blue light. Considering the depth it was found, and the potential of deep water corals growing in reduced light, when brought up to more vivid lights, it could actually be quite interesting. The inside of the corallites are fluorescent yellow and the tentacles are bright purple. That’s a good sign to us that it has potential.
Large coral colonies, especially Acropora, are an excellent sign of reef health. The fact that this colony is surviving the different coral bleaching, Drupella or crown of thorn starfish events, pollution, overfishing, and didn’t get entangled in a discarded fishing net is just a miracle. The depth is probably what is saving it, keeping cooler and darker during warming events, and out of the reach of many fishermen.
This colony is at the entrance of a small canyon, at the tip of a small peninsula. In the sweet spot where the deep, cool underwater flow comes right in front of it and then splits into both directions along the reef walls. It goes in one direction on one side of the colony and the other on the opposite side, which is quite remarkable. This particular spot is quite tricky to dive, and we usually wait for slack or nip tides to get down there. Otherwise, we are in for a rough ride and a long swim!
That very particular underwater current is actually the exact reason why that particular colony could grow that big. That current brings cooler, deeper water onto the reef, but also sucks rich surface water down the reef slope. This current is packed with the necessary phytoplankton food, necessary for species of likeAcropora tenuis. All these small layers of coral filter the down current, and have allowed it to grow humongous.
生产特殊的珊瑚需要特殊条件，这就是一个完美的例子。那个殖民地应该得到自己的名字，就像加利福尼亚的巨型红木一样。
