The comparison of field measurements of the orientation of branching planes of several species of sea fans with the magnitude and direction of water motion due to several types of currents indicates that fan‐shaped gorgonians orient at right angles to dominant current flow and may be useful as indicators of the average direction of water motion. The mechanism by which orientation is achieved may be related to mechanical forces associated with water movement. Fans were transplanted to various flow regimes and subsequently studied for signs of damage and reorientation. Differences in branchlet diameter and spicule length in Muricea appear to be associated with water motion, in ways that may represent structural adaptations enabling the organisms to withstand large forces caused by waves in shallow water.