This dataset is in support of the manuscript: Growth-predation risk tradeoffs constrain the local distribution of a thicket-forming staghorn coral to marginal reef habitats. These data were collected to 1) document how Acropora pulchra is distributed around the island of Moorea, and 2) to better understand the ecological processes that shape that distribution. Data include 1) results from surveys around the island of Moorea documenting the presence and size distribution of Acropora pulchra thickets, 2) results from an experiment measuring the growth and survivorship of Acropora pulchra fragments in the presence and absence of fish predators at nearshore fringing reef sites and adjacent sites in the mid lagoon (n = 20 sites in total), and 3) ancillary data on nitrogen content and dN15 in the tissue of the macroalgae Turbinaria ornata, sediment accumulation, and corallivore biomass at the experimental sites. All data were collected in 2016 and 2017.