Bleaching affects the entire colony (B, C, H), upper surfaces (F), the base, or focal to multifocal patches (I,P). Coloration may vary from pale to white within individual species (L-N); white irregular patches of tissue loss may occur near bleached areas (L). Corals that bleach (C) may recover (D). A scale of bleaching from 1-5 can be used: 1= white; 2= light yellow; 3=yellow; 4= light brown; 5= normal.

Severity of bleaching can range from: pale: colonies that are lighter than normal; partially bleached: the loss of some or all color in a random mosaic pattern; mostly bleached: colonies that are uniformly pale yellow to off white; and fully bleached: colonies that appear uniformly white and the skeleton is seen through translucent coral tissue; Other patterns of bleaching also occur including ring bleaching : rings of pale or white tissue up to 4 cm in diameter and 2-5 mm in width, each with a center of unbleached tissue.

Bleached colonies may exhibit a distinct blue (K), yellow, green, or reddish (N) fluorescence. Corals that bleach may be more susceptible to other diseases such as BBD (O).