Bella Beach

Bella Beach lies along the coast of Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. Like much of the island, it sits inside a fringing coral reef that rings Rarotonga, with the lagoon and reef slope entered directly from shore. Divers have reported a mix of invertebrate life on the reef here, including black sea cucumbers, greenfish sea cucumbers, lollyfish sea cucumbers, blue linckia starfish, small giant clams, and urchins such as the blue-black, collector, and Indo-Pacific rock-boring varieties. Hawaiian convict surgeonfish have also been spotted moving over the reef.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Lollyfish Sea CucumberHolothuria atraReported here · unconfirmed
• Hawaiian Convict SurgeonfishAcanthurus triostegusReported here · unconfirmed
• Indo-Pacific Rock-boring UrchinEchinometra mathaeiReported here · unconfirmed
• Black Sea CucumberHolothuria leucospilotaReported here · unconfirmed
• Small Giant ClamTridacna maximaReported here · unconfirmed
• Greenfish Sea CucumberStichopus chloronotusReported here · unconfirmed
• Blue LinckiaLinckia laevigataReported here · unconfirmed
• Collector UrchinTripneustes gratillaReported here · unconfirmed
• Blue-black UrchinEchinothrix diademaReported here · unconfirmed