To address the critical issue of pile foundations in coral sand foundations subjected to wave-induced cyclic loading during island and reef construction, this study investigates the pile-soil interaction mechanisms of drained rigid piles under static and cyclic horizontal loading through model tests. Firstly, static loading tests determined the ultimate bearing capacity of the drained rigid pile to be 376 N. It was found that the peak bending moment occurred at a depth of 2 to 2.8 times the equivalent pile diameter below the foundation surface, and the slope of the p-y curves flattened with increasing embedment depth. Furthermore, a comparative study on the dynamic response of drained rigid piles and conventional rigid piles under horizontal cyclic loading revealed that: The pile head displacement and extreme bending moment values of conventional rigid piles were greater than those of drained rigid piles. The peak bending moments for both pile types occurred at depths of 3 to 4 times the equivalent pile diameter below the foundation surface. The slopes of the p-y curve hysteresis loops for both conventional and drained rigid piles increased with greater soil depth. However, the drained rigid piles exhibited smaller attenuation amplitudes in both soil resistance and dynamic stiffness compared to conventional rigid piles, while simultaneously demonstrating greater maximum soil resistance and dynamic stiffness. The research demonstrates that drained rigid piles significantly enhance the bearing stability of coral sand foundations under cyclic loading, offering valuable insights for the design of pile foundations in island and reef engineering projects.