Fringing Reefs

Pipon Island, north of Cairns, with its fringing reef

Fringing reefs are coral structures that are attached to the mainland or to continental islands. In the Great Barrier Reef region most fringing reefs are found around continental islands, particularly in Reef waters north of Mackay. As many of the Barrier Reef resorts are located on such islands, particularly in the Whitsunday Group, fringing reefs are probably the reef type most commonly seen by visitors.

To many people the emergence of a fringing reef at low tide is a disappointment. The inner reef flat may be entirely covered by sand of mud. Much of the central reef flat is dominated by plants rather than the expected corals. Only towards the outer edge of the reef do living corals start to become prominent. On the inner reef flat they form flattened disk-shaped colonies termed 'micro-atolls', or small branching colonies. However, on the very outer, edge of the reef, corals may dominate and a surprising variety may be found.