Elphinstone Reef

Elphinstone Reef is a narrow offshore coral reef famous for dramatic vertical walls and abundant marine life. The finger-shaped reef rises steeply from deep water nearly to the surface and has two shallow plateaus at its northern and southern ends, with dense hard and soft corals, sea fans and sponges that support schools of reef fish and frequent sightings of sharks and other large pelagics. The entire structure is only a few hundred meters long but offers true wall-diving topography. The site is reached only by boat and almost all dives are drift dives along the reef flanks. Typical dives begin on coral-covered plateaus around 10–25 meters, with the northern plateau stepping down from about 20 meters and the southern plateau sloping from roughly 15–30 meters to much steeper walls; the walls commonly extend to depths of 40–50 meters or more, and a deep arch lies at about 60 meters. Visibility is usually very good in clear, warm water year-round. Currents are often strong and unpredictable, so diving Elphinstone generally requires advanced open-water certification and experience in currents; night or novice dives are not generally conducted. Because of the depth, strong currents and the deep arch, air consumption and decompression management are important, and the arch has been associated with several fatal accidents.