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A cluster of bright red sea fans (genus *Melithaea*) in the glowing turquoise water stands out like a sunlit ruby in a vivid yellow gold setting that turns out to be soft octocorals. Octocorals are found primarily on inner reefs at depths just below the stony corals where there is gentler water motion. They are not usually the dominant coral on many areas of the reef, but they can be in areas where there is a lot of sediment. New Caledonia is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,500 km) east of Australia.