St. Crispin's Reef Explained

St. Crispin's Reef is an elongate outer-shelf[1] coral reef in the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

Location and topography

Named after St. Crispin, the French patron saint of cobblers and tanners,[2] St. Crispin's Reef is located 35 miles off the Queensland coast in the Coral Sea,[3] in latitude 16° 07' 54.14" S longitude 145° 48' 22.46" E, at a depth of 9 metres.[4] It lies east of Undine Reef and south of Agincourt Reefs, close to Opal Reef.[5] [6] Protected by neighbor reefs, St. Crispin's structure consists of many shallow sandy channels that reticulate around coral mounds, rather than a typical reef slope. It has an abundance of soft corals and colourful marine life.[7]

Marine life

St. Crispin's Reef is a popular diving and snorkeling spot for expeditions from Port Douglas and Cairns.[8] Nicknamed "Flower garden", the reef is host to Sergeant majors, Sweet lips, reef sharks, feather stars and bumphead parrot fish.[3] [9]

Classification

Classified by the Marine Park Authority for "Intensive use",[10] the reef has four moorings.[3] In 1998, divers Tom and Eileen Lonergan were accidentally left here by their dive expedition, and went missing. Their bodies were never found. The tragedy inspired the film Open Water.[11]

References

-16.1317°N 145.8062°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching surveys 2006 (research publication no. 87) . 2006. Great Barrier reef Marine Park Authority. Australia. 48.
  2. Web site: Survey 22 - St. Crispin's reef. Surveys of the Great Barrier Reef. Catlin Seaview Survey. 27 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212734/http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/surveys/great-barrier-reef-and-coral-sea/st-crispins-reef#. 2014-05-27. live.
  3. Web site: Snorkeling at St. Crispin's reef. Wavelength. 27 May 2014.
  4. Web site: St. Crispin's Reef. Transects of St. Crispins reef. Global Reef Record. 27 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527221607/http://globalreefrecord.org/transect_explorer/14009/image/140090088#. 2014-05-27. live.
  5. Web site: Location of St. Crispin's reef. Wikimapia. 27 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527215447/http://wikimapia.org/12289957/St-Crispin-Reef#. 2014-05-27. live.
  6. Web site: Map of great barrier reef. Dive Maps of Australia. PADI - Professional Association of Diving Instructors. 27 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527220404/http://www.padi.com/scuba/uploadedImages/Scuba_Diving_Trips/Scuba_Diving_Resort_Vacations/Australia%20dive%20map.jpg#. 2014-05-27. live.
  7. Web site: 2012 survey - St. Crispin's reef. Catlin Seaview Survey. 27 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20170731032317/http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/#. 2017-07-31. live.
  8. News: Major reef sites from Port Douglas. 27 May 2014. Frommers. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527230129/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/queensland-and-the-great-barrier-reef/697108#sthash.A4WzFqa1.dpbs#sthash.A4WzFqa1.dpbs. 2014-05-27. live.
  9. Book: Zell, len. The Great Barrier Reef: A Journey Through the World's Greatest Natural Wonder. May 1, 2014. Murdoch Books. 978-1743361795.
  10. Web site: Classification of reefs. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. 27 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212252/http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/#. 2014-05-27. live.
  11. Web site: Mystery of couple left behind in shark-infested waters still missing 23 years on . . 5 June 2021 .

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