These data report the number of Pocilloporid, Acroporid and Poritiid corals recruiting annually to permanent 5 m X 5 m plots established at a depth of approximately 10 m on the forereef of Moorea, French Polynesia. Plots were established following an outbreak (2007-2010) of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastars (Acanthaster planci) and the close passage of Cyclone Oli to Moorea in February, 2010. These two perturbations resulted in a significant loss of live coral coral from the forereef on an island-wide scale (crown-of-thorns) and the loss of habitat structural complexity from forereef habitats on Moorea's north shore (Cyclone Oli). See Adam, T.C. et al. 2011 "Herbivory, connectivity and ecosystem resilience: response of a coral reef to a large-scale perturbation" PLoS One e23717 for a more complete description of the system, the nature and magnitudes of the perturbations and the short-term response by the coral community to the perturbations. Data were obtained by counting all Pocilloporid, Acroporid and Poritiid coral recruits < 3 cm in colony diameter observed within 25 5 m x 5 m plots established at four sites in a depth of approximately 10 m on the forereef of Moorea, French Polynesia. Two sites, Resilience 1 (R1) containing five 5 m x 5 m plots and Resilience 2 (R2) containing ten 5 m x 5 m plots were established along the north shore of the island. Two additional sites, Resilience 4 (R4) and Resilience 5 (R5), each containing five 5 m x 5 m plots were established on the southeast and southwest shores of the island, respectively. The locations of the plots are permanently marked using stainless steel eye-bolts cemented into the reef matrix so that counts of coral recruits can be made repeatedly within the same plots on an annual basis. This dataset, knb-lter-mcr.5023, is a subset of a larger dataset, knb-lter-mcr.7008, and has been produced in support of a manuscript submission. The parent dataset, knb-lter-mcr.7008, contains additional data on the number of corals recruiting to two additional sites (Resilience 3 and Resilience 6) established on the forereef surrounding Moorea, French Polynesia, as well as estimates of the size distribution of Pocilloporid, Acroporid and Poritiid corals occurring within each plot, the abundances and biomasses of fishes within each plot, the abundances of several species of macro-invertebrates observed within each plot, and coarse scale measurements of the depth and surface rugosity within each plot.