Rowley Shoals

Rowley Shoals ( = " shoals" ) is the name of a group of three projects out of the water, atoll -like coral reefs off the Australian northwest coast, about 260 kilometers west of Broome.

Geography

The archipelago lies on the edge of one of the largest shelves in the world. Each of the atolls covering an area of about 80 to 90 km ² (mostly lagoons and Rifffläche because the land areas are very small). Politically, they are part of the Australian state of Western Australia. All they rise steeply from the surrounding ocean floor and lie on the same underwater platform as the further north-eastern Scott and Seringapatam Reef. The group's name is derived from Captain Josias Rowley, who discovered in 1800 Imperieuse Reef. Probably the atolls were visited at least since the mid 18th century by Indonesian fishermen who chased after trepang ( sea cucumbers ), sea turtles, sharks and trochi.

These early visitors knew the Rowley Shoals as Pulau Pulo probably Dhaoh. In later years, Fischer came out of Roti island south of Timor, who knew the islands as Pulau Bawa Angin. Likewise, given to the individual reefs names, Mermaid was called Pulau Manjariti, Clerke Reef as Pulau Tengah and Pulau Imperieuse Reef as Matsohor.

Mermaid Reef

Mermaid Reef, the easternmost of three reefs (17 ° 06 'S, 119 ° 37'E ), is an atoll with a large, enclosed by a ring of coral lagoon. At the northeastern end of the ring, there is a passage that is about 60 meters wide and leads into the lagoon. Before Mermaid Reef the seabed drops rapidly to 440 meters. Was named the atoll in 1818 by Captain Philip Parker King, who discovered the reef and named it after his ship.

Clerke Reef

Clerke Reef ( also called Minstrel Shoal ), is located at 17 ° 19 'S, 119 ° 21'E and about 23 kilometers south-west of Mermaid Reef. The north-south length of the reef is about 15 km and a width of 6 kilometers. At the northern end of the island lies Bedwell Islet, a non- streaky sand hill, 2 meters high. Again, there is a narrow passage into the lagoon, also here the seabed falls off immediately, here around 390 meters. As Mermaid Reef, Clerke Reef was also named by Captain Philip Parker King, namely after Captain Clerke, who had previously reported from the reef 1800-1809.

Imperieuse Reef

Imperieuse Reef, 17 ° 35 'S, 118 ° 55'E, is a further 35 kilometers southwest of Clerke Reef, making it the most south-westerly point of the Rowley Shoals. It measures about 16 km in the north - south length of 8 kilometers wide. At the southeastern edge of the reef, there are numerous coral rocks that extend up to 3 meters above the water level. Large parts of the Riffgebiets come at low tide revealed. Imperieuse Reef has two lagoons, each of which contains many corals. Near the North Shore is located Cunningham Islet, a small, vegetation-free sand island that rises 3.7 m above the water. Also, the islet is (93 meters) surrounded by a small lagoon and the site of a lighthouse, Imperieuse Reef Light. Before Imperieuse Reef the seabed around 230 meters drops. Also, this reef was named by Captain Philip Parker King, namely after the ship from which it had been sighted by Captain Rowley for the first time.

Conservation

Clerke Reef and Imperieuse form the Rowley Shoals Marine Park, which was established in 1990 and expanded in 2004. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management ( CALM) of Western Australia. The near Mermaid Reef Marine National Nature Reserve maintained by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency ( ANCA) with assistance from CALM.

Tourism

To 1977 we began to take from Broome with charter boats expeditions to the reefs for the purpose of fishing and diving. Since then, the public interest in the field has increased continuously and the Rowley Shoals got the reputation of being one of Australia's best dive sites. The reefs are among the most remote and pristine in the world.