Exploration and adventures of the little known reef-building coral fauna in the equatorial eastern Pacific (Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands) in the 1960s and 1970s revealed abundant coral communities and coral reefs, and noteworthy experiences. Aerial photography performed during midday extreme low tides followed by ground truth scuba diving were effective means in locating coral formations. Among the few reef-building coral species encountered, taxa in the genera Pocillopora, Porites, and Pavona were predominant. Reef framework accumulation (vertical thickness) ranged from 1–2 m to 10–12 m. Reefs constructed by species of the three genera mentioned above were present in upwelling and non-upwelling environments, mostly in sheltered bays and on leeward shores. Small patch reefs were observed in estuarine environments in Panama. Robust coral community and reef development occurred in the gulfs of Chiriquí and Panama (Panama), the Guanacaste Province, Caño Island and Golfo Dulce (Costa Rica), Gorgona Island (Colombia), Machalilla and Isla de La Plata (Ecuador), and Wolf (Wenman) and Darwin islands (northern Galápagos Islands, Ecuador). Beginning in the 1980s, robust coral community and reef development have been documented at eastern Pacific oceanic islands (e.g., Clipperton Atoll, Revillagigedo Islands, and Cocos Island), coastal Mexico, Nicaragua, and distant Rapa Nui (or Easter Island, Chile).