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Depth: 10-40 m 35-130 ft
Description: This is a beautiful wall reef that begins as a slope and gradually steepens towards the South. The turn-around point is a deep coral ridge with a swim-through, above which are found rare and cryptic species such as seahorses, lobsters and decorator crabs
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Points of special interest (click on map for position):
1- Schooling grunts – French grunts and bluestriped grunts often school together. They use the silvery stripes of their neighbours to help align themselves with the rest of the school
2- Decorator crab zone – These tiny, cryptic crabs are very hard to spot. They ‘decorate’ their body with bits of algae, sponge, and stinging anemones to better blend in with their soft coral home
3- Green moray den – The green moray is the Caribbean’s largest species of moray eel; they have poor vision and hunt for fish and crustaceans using mainly their sense of smell
4- Longsnout seahorse zone – A pair of longsnout seahorses live on a deepwater seafan at approximately 27 m / 90 ft on this reef wall. In seahorses and their relatives, it is actually the male rather than the female which gives birth
5- Spiny lobster cave – Caribbean spiny lobsters are most active at night. During the day, several individuals may share a shelter such as the one located on this reef wall at approximately 20 m / 65 ft
6- Red great star coral – Beyond the regular brown variety, great star coral can also be blue, green or red. Scientific studies suggest that the rare red variety is hardest for fish to see, which may protect corals from predation
7- Banded coral shrimp zone – These red and white banded shrimp are the reef’s most conspicuous. Some have lost claws or legs in fights with other shrimp or predators, but don’t worry - lost limbs are regrown as a shrimp moults
8- Queen triggerfish nests – Queen triggerfish build a bowl-shaped nest in the sand by blowing water at the bottom. Triggerfish nests have been spotted in this area, and divers may even see pairs still guarding their eggs
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Creatures that live here (ID - Common Name):
B.BV - Queen Triggerfish
C.LZ - Arrow Blenny
G.GL - Fairy Basslet
G.GM - Blackcap Basslet
H.HF - French Grunt
H.HS - Bluestriped Grunt
L.LMb - Mahogany Snapper
M.GF - Green Moray
M.P - Decorator Crab
P.PA - Caribbean Spiny Lobster
S.HR - Longsnout Seahorse
S.SH - Banded Coral Shrimp
S.SV - Queen Parrotfish
T.CR - Caribbean Sharpnose Puffer
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Beautiful Oceans Science Dive & Snorkel Centers visiting this dive site:
  
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