Page 9 - Diving Indonesia 21 November 2019

Indonesian Living Reefs

usually robust branching corals and some by the large numbers of smaller reef
soft species - there is generally a high fishes. Fringing reefs are seen all around
percentage of damaged coral and coral Indonesia and are usually accessed by
rubble resulting from wave action in the boat or from shore.
shallow waters - broken corals are often
observed to several meters below the Barrier Reefs
reef crest. Some fringing reefs also have A barrier reef is basically a fringing reef
a back reef or boat channel which is a where the back reef or boat channel
little deeper and calmer than the reef flat has become a large lagoon. The Great
itself and is usually more of a sandy area. Barrier Reef in Australia is the most
Fringing, sloping reefs and walls provide famous example and measures 2,000
for excellent diving as these are the areas kilometers in length and in places the
where deeper dwelling marine species will lagoon is as much as 100 kilometers wide.
come closest to the surface. Fringing reefs An island can have several barrier reefs
are usually subject to varying degrees which extend outward around the island
of current as the water moves around in a ripple like formation and the lagoon
the associated island. The currents between the barrier reef and the island
bring nutrients to the reef in the form of can also harbor smaller patchy reef areas.
INDONESIA’S LIVING REEFS plankton and quite often cooler water Charles Darwin in his publication ‘The
from the open sea. Fringing reefs are often
Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs’
LOCATED IN THE HEART OF the best place to see visiting pelagics such theorized that all barrier reefs were at one
as sharks, rays and even mola as they
stage fringing reefs which had then grown
THE CORAL TRIANGLE visit the reef to either feed or be cleaned outward leaving a lagoon behind them

Indonesia’s Coral Reefs of marine mammals and they are home
With over 17,500 islands, Indonesia is to more than one third of all whale and
home to an incredible array of corals dolphin species. Indonesian reefs support
reefs and Indonesia is unique in that it the most varied and abundant marine life
boasts all manner of reefs on which to on Earth.
dive; fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls
are all spread across the archipelago. Fringing Reefs
Difficulty levels vary enormously from The majority of the reefs in Indonesia
shallow, clear lagoons with little current which are explored by divers are fringing
to deep, open sea pinnacles with crashing reefs where the coral grows right up to
waves and powerful currents. Indonesian the edge of the island. Usually fringing
reefs boast over 500 species of coral, reefs in Indonesia are characterized by
10,000 species of invertebrates and a reef ‘flat’ which can sit at anywhere
sea plants and over 3,000 species of between 1m and 10m before it ‘drops
fish. They are home to 6 out of 7 of the off’ either into a sloping reef or in other
World’s turtle species and form part of areas, a vertical wall. Reef flats tend to
the migratory routes of over 30 species have a limited range of coral species –

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