Abstract: From August 2013 to December 2014，the distribution，species，coverage and health status of coral communities in the eastern sea area of Shenzhen were investigated. A total of 73 species of coleopteran were characterized in the coelenterate，including 2 species of soft corals， 9 species of gorgonians，2 species of sea anemones，and 60 species of scleractinian corals. The survey results showed that the corals in eastern sea area of Shenzhen had a banded distribution. The growing zone was narrow，parallel to the coast. The vertical zoning was not obvious. The spatial distribution was relatively simple. The scleractinian corals were mostly distributed in the coastal water depth of about 6 m in shallow areas， and the soft corals were widely distributed. The deepest water depth was 16 m，and the gorgonian coral was distributed in the sandy bottom waters with a water depth of 9 m or more. Statistical analysis showed that the coral coverage rate of the Da’ao lovers Island was the highest，at 41. 60%，and the coverage of Beizai jiao station was the lowest，only 2.50%. Among them，compared with the historical survey results，the scleractinian corals had increased in species and coverage，and the dominant species were clump - shaped，sub - branched，and surface - shaped Faviidae，Agariciidae，and Poritidae. Human activities which included coastal and offshore engineering，picking unlawfully the corals and overfishing might be the main factors of influencing the living environment of coral reefs.