Amazing Bermuda Coral Reefs

Amazing Bermuda Coral Reefs

Bermuda Coral Reefs are some of the northern most reefs in the Atlantic. They are also quite unique being some of the largest that you will see anywhere in the world.

Another amazing thing I learned was that whole of Bermuda Island itself was created as a result of a volcanic eruption from the ocean floor.

But you won’t be able to make that out by looking at it. While most of this island is volcanic rock, the upper layer that people live on and dive from is all limestone.

So who built this massive upper crust? None other than the great reef builders, the Corals. The next question that came to my mind was how did the corals build these massive gigantic coral reefs? And I figured out that corals actually thrive in clean warm water like the Atlantic around Bermuda where the nearby Gulf Stream keeps the water warm. They are able to fix a chemical called calcium carbonate from seawater and gradually create these massive underwater reefs.

Bermuda Coral Reefs

Then the next question followed, what exactly are these corals? Are they animals, vegetables or minerals? Initially people thought corals were some sort of natural rock formations. Later corals were classified as plants. Aristotle called corals as “flower animals” as they were found to be feeding on small plankton which are small drifting organisms found in the seawaters.

The living corals are a colony of many tiny individuals. These individuals live on the thin delicate surface of coral skeleton. Since only the top layer is alive, corals are delicate and can be damaged by contact.

Bermuda Coral Reefs

The Bermuda coral reefs had always created navigational hazard for early mariners. Over 300 ships have wrecked due to these Bermuda coral reefs.

During one of my meetings with the legendary treasure diver Teddy Tucker, he mentioned that in early days, every time a ship was wrecked, it became a big event for local Bermudians.

But Why? Here is what I heard. As soon as a ship was wrecked, the locals knew that they would all have their respective shares of the booty made from the wreck. In the earlier days the locals even used gunfire sound to distract the captains' attention and get the ship navigated towards an underwater coral reef hoping to get it wrecked. If you want to know more about Bermuda's shipwrecks and the exciting stories about them, check out: Famous Bermuda Shipwrecks

Unlike many places in the Caribbean, Bermuda's coral reefs remain very healthy. Coral reefs are biological hot spots and support a diversity of life; they are often compared with rain forests. Coral reefs provide a habitat for many species of fish and marine life. Visit Bermuda's Fish to know about all the popular fishes that you can see at the reefs even while Snorkeling.

If you like to know about the best diving centers in Bermuda who offer great reef diving experience, then visit Bermuda Diving.

Find out how valuable the Coral Reef Systems are to Bermuda when it comes to protection of the island and tourism: Bermuda reefs priced higher than precious gems.

Now, check out the links below to know about the great Bermuda Coral reefs, how they look, how can you reach them, what can you find there and lot more information.

The North Rock Coral Reef

This is the largest of coral reefs in Bermuda. The shallow coral reefs of the North Rock Nature Preserve cover an area of 1000-meter radial distance from the North Rock Navigational Beacon.

The Aquarium Coral Reef

It’s like swimming in an aquarium. The coral reefs here have formed beautiful arches under the water and you can swim through them.

Blue Hole Coral Reef

This coral reef is located at the end of Eastern Blue Cut, where the shallow waters meet the North Atlantic. This is a classic multi-level site, with a maximum depth of 55 feet.

The Mills Breaker

This is a series of shallow blind breakers. Many ships heading towards the navigational guiding light at North Rock, met their ill fate on these shallow, blind breaker reefs.

South West Breaker

With an average depth of only 28feet and typical visibility in excess of 100feet, South West Breaker provides an excellent shallow dive for both novice and experienced divers. The shallow depth and the variety of fishes make it a great place for snorkeling as well.

The Basilica and Cathedral

Both Basilica and the Cathedral reefs are located quite close to the opening of Castle Harbor, Bermuda's original port entrance. Depths vary from the shallows of 15 feet to around 55 feet.

Here are some more great Bermuda coral reefs: Sic-O-Big-C, Bad Caves, Hangover Hole, Parrot's Mission, Table Top, Bad lands and Kevin's Reef.

And here are more fascinating coral reefs in Bermuda: Three Sisters, Tarpon Hole, Ben's Bender, Killa Puffa, Smugglers Notch and Watch Hill Park.

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