Coral reefs experience biologically-driven pCO2 oscillations that are predicted to become more extreme in magnitude and duration under ocean acidification (OA) regimes. Understanding the plasticity of responses in common reef-building corals to oscillations in pCO2 will allow for better predictions of their function in future seawater conditions. This study explored the effects of variation in seawater pCO2 on coral calcification using experiments conducted over one month between 9 April 2018 and 18 May 2018. Branches (~4-cm long) of Acropora retusa were sampled from colonies at 10-m depth on the fore reef of Moorea, French Polynesia (17° 28′ 53.9004" S, 149° 49′ 50.5992" W). We tested the hypothesis that depressed calcification caused by elevated pCO2 (~1000 μatm) is relaxed (i.e., calcification increases) upon return to ambient pCO2 (~400 μatm). Corals first were incubated in ambient or elevated pCO2 for 19 days, with the result that calcification integrated over this period was reduced by 31% under elevated pCO2. The same corals were then incubated at ambient pCO2 for 11 days, during which calcification was independent of the experimental pCO2 exposure history. Our results suggest that a quick relaxation of pCO2-depressed calcification in A. retusa following cessation of high pCO2 indicates that corals are capable of a reversible plastic response of calcification when confronted by pCO2 oscillations.