do you know what a coral reef white hole is?

[Austin]

Archman, that's not fair, you're shaping your class more toward reef ecology!!! You shoulda done that last year! Maybe I'll just come to Eluthera in August, hehehe

 

[FredT]

We always just called them anchor targets though. In clearish reef building water they stand out quite well from the boat deck due to the contrast with the darker reef structure.

On a general reef flat the reef builds above the "base" substrate level. As the sea level rises and falls where the reef doesn't build due to no exposed hard surface there may be a 20 to 30' deep "hole" formed by the coral growth with a sand bottom. Rarely are they round but several good round examples exist. Finks Grouper Hole east of Highland Beach, Palm Beach County, FL is a good example of a round one that is over 100 yards across. The east side of the Andros Barrier Reef has several within a dozen miles of Fresh Creek that are nearly round, and I've seen a few nearly round ones up by Forfar. There is also a good example known as the Conch Trap on Cay Sal Bank where the hole bottom is about 30' below the surrounding reef flat. Conch Trap looks like a collapsed cavern roof geologicaly, Finks may be one too.

FT

 

[archman]

The east side of the Andros Barrier Reef has several within a dozen miles of Fresh Creek that are nearly round, and I've seen a few nearly round ones up by Forfar.

Hmmm... I'll have to remember to look for these in particular. I'm supposed to visit Forfar sometime, and large sand patches around the reefs are quite useful for classes. I'll just have to make sure nobody motors up and drops an anchor on us!

 

[sharkbaitDAN]

Hmmm... I'll have to remember to look for these in particular. I'm supposed to visit Forfar sometime, and large sand patches around the reefs are quite useful for classes. I'll just have to make sure nobody motors up and drops an anchor on us!

There is one just south of ForFar, off Kamalame Cay. It is in the reef just outside of the channel marker there, maybe 200 yards IIRC. I was last there in Feb. 2001, so I might be a little off. There is an engine block in the middle. We called it "The Amphitheater," and there was a bouy that I put down on the block, I doubt the bouy is still there, but if it is, it can hold a 25' boat.