Coral reefs

[bubba]

Another profile for "tropical" if you are located near an Ocean should be the existence or non-existence of Coral reefs.Are there any in the continental US other than Florida? Also, I am particularly interested in Australia and where Coral reefs commence in the Pacific in Mexico.

[palmmermaid]

In the continental US, the only one outside of Florida is Grey's Reef, about 60 miles off the coast of Georgia.  It is a shallow system - about 60 feet - but very prolific.  

There are also the ones in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico - Flower Garden Bank and Stetson Bank.  Based on my observations during coral spawning, these are very healthy reefs.  In the Atlantic-Caribbean area, the reefs of Palm Beach County have a greater diversity than anywhere else in the area.  I've made probably 3,000 dives in this area and get higher fish species counts off Palm Beach than anywhere else.  The Gulf Stream is the cause of this diversity.  We have things here that aren't supposed to be here - outside the Pacific exotics that are on the rise!

I've also been to the Sea of Cortez and Fiji.  The number of different species far outnumbers what we have here.  So I don't think comparing the 2 areas is exactly fair.  Millions of years ago, the Atlantic actually had more species of corals than the Pacific.  And then the Panama isthmus closed up and the Atlantic specie decreased for some reason.

[bubba]

Thank you Kitty for some great information!

[fiji jim]

Hey Bubba, these are plants too.

The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is of course the world's largest.  

The second largest barrier reef is the Mesoamerican reef along the east coast of Central America.

Third largest is in Fiji. The Cakaulevu Reef of Fiji, also known as the "Great Sea Reef" is the third largest barrier reef system in the world covering an area of over 200,000 sq.km. (77,000 square miles). It is home to thousands of species of marine animals and many of them are found nowhere else on our planet.

I have dived much of this reef and it is truly amazing.

Fiji also has one of the world’s largest barrier reefs. Namenalala Island Reef. Do a Google search on Namena barrier reef.

The wall dives here are mind-blowing. I have seen big hammerhead sharks here, 100kg plus dogtooth tuna, whalesharks, tigers and the most amazing schools of reef fish. A dusk dive there is real scary as all the big boys come up in the change of light to feed.

Jim

[palmmermaid]

Jim,

Actually the corals are animals, not plants.  Just like sea fans.  Most people do think of them as plants since they look like plants.

[Eric in Orlando]

Aren't there coral reefs in the Mediterranean? I also thought I read there are cold water coral in deep water off Washington state.

[Daryl]

We have coral reefs here, but nothing in comparison to the Great Barrier Reef. The southernmost coral reef in eastern OZ is the one that surrounds Lord Howe Island.

Years ago I flew from Oz to Samoa, via Fiji and New Caledonia. I could not believe the amount of coral throughout the Coral Sea and western Pacific Ocean. I am amazed that Captain Cook and other early explorers actually got anywhere, as the whole ocean appeared to be coral reefs, atolls and islands. Hour after hour of looking down on basically a very shallow part of the Pacific that appeared to be all coral.

Daryl

[palmmermaid]

I want to dive in Australia.  I want to see the leafy sea dragon, the potato cod, and the stromatolites in Shark Bay.  Other things would be fine as well but those are the 3 biggies for me.

I also want to do muck diving in Papua New Guinea and Sulawesi and Rangaroa.

[philinsydney]

My understanding is that corals can live in quite cold water, but only form reefs in warm areas. I think Coffs Harbour is as far south as reefs come on Australia's E coast, but the animals live much further south.

[galveston1602]

Heres the only one near me, been there fishing more times than I can count.  I believe these reefs to be the northernmost coral reefs in the continental united states.  

http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/