What will I see at the Reef Drop-off? The Reef Drop-off, for its first 50m, is the habitat for many reef fish who find shelter on the Reef Face and eat the plankton in the nearby sea. The Reef Face is usually the richest habitat. Its complex growths of coral provide cracks and crevices for protection, and the abundant invertebrates and algae offer an ample source of food. Fish that cruise the boundaries of the Reef Drop-off include predators, such as pompanos, groupers, certain types of shark, and barracudas. If you are lucky enough to have seagrass meadows nearby you will see mackerel, snapper, porgies and grunts. Herbivorous and plankton-eating fish include fusilier, ray, chromis, and the nocturnal squirrelfish and cardinalfish.

Thin Time for Shelled Creatures: Ocean acidification caused by climate change is making it harder for creatures from clams to sea urchins to grow their shells scientists said today. A thinning of the protective cases of mussels, oysters, lobsters and crabs is likely to disrupt marine food chains by making the creatures more vulnerable to predators, which could reduce human sources of seafood. Human emissions of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, and some of that carbon dioxide ends up in the oceans, where it dissolves to form acid. The ocean acidification makes it harder for creatures to extract calcium carbonate - vital to grow skeletons and shells according to the study in the journal Global Change Biology.

What will I see in the Reef Lagoon? The Reef Lagoon or reef flat can be entirely enclosed creating a stretch of quiet water or it can be a protective area bordering a beach, or a flat, rocky area between the reef and the shore. Whatever its character the lagoon offers protection to juvenile and small fishes. Consequently, the number of species living there is often the highest of any reef zone. Stretching from the beach to reef crest, the lagoon's sandy bottom is littered with chunks of coral. As one swims towards the crest the flat area becomes more rocky and the number of browsing fishes higher. You will spot juvenile sharks and rays, Black-spotted Pompanos, juvenile Triggerfishes, a large variety of Goatfishes, Sandperches, Monacle Breams and the occasional school of Mullets.