diving.voyage
Sea urchin

Marine life profile

Sea urchin

Recorded at 8 dive sites

Where divers encounter it

Explore Sea urchin around the world

Sea urchins or urchins () are the class Echinoidea within the echinoderms. Its movements may be subtle, but feeding, filtering and defensive responses are constantly reshaping the reef at close range.

Dive sites8
Countries9
Animal groupInvertebrates
Safety profileGenerally Harmless

Meet the species

What to look for

How to Recognize It

Slow down and look for distinctive texture, symmetry and color rather than a familiar fish-like silhouette.

How It Behaves

Its movements may be subtle, but feeding, filtering and defensive responses are constantly reshaping the reef at close range.

Special Ability

Specialized tissues, stinging cells, regeneration or chemical defenses solve survival without speed or heavy armor.

Dive responsibly

Share the water well

How to Approach

Perfect your buoyancy and observe from above without touching the animal or the surface supporting it.

Safety

Many invertebrates are fragile, venomous or irritating to skin. Keep hands, fins and equipment clear.

Worth knowing

The detail you remember

Interesting Facts

Approximately 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depths from the intertidal zone to the deep sea.

Where to Find

Look closely on reef walls, coral heads, sand, seagrass, jetties and shaded overhangs.

Known countries

CyprusAustraliaSint MaartenIndiaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesNetherlandsSpainUnited States of America (USA)