Marine Places
Shangrilla (S) Reef
This wall reef bows inwards, like a giant bowl. Divers follow the curve of the bowl, exploring the steep wall to the south where reef sharks are often sighted. Divers return through the back reef, which contains plenty of sponges and soft corals as well as flamingo tongues and trumpet fish.
Points of Special Interest
1. Dome shaped corals – Boulder star corals form domes in the shallows and plates in deeper water - adaptations thatallow them to capture more light in each environment. Many of the dome shaped coral at Shangrilla are also home to cleaning stations
2. Red lionfish zone – This invasive species was accidentally introduced to the Caribbean from the Pacific and has become a little too successful here, where it has no natural predators
3. Shark zone – Caribbean reef sharks are often spotted cruising along the southern drop-off of this reef
4. Finger coral colonies – These corals provide lots of nooks and crannies within which small reef organisms, such as shrimps and juvenile fishes, can hide from predators
5. Soft coral zone – Soft corals are home for many cryptic reef species. Look among their fronds for trumpetfish, decorator crabs, flamingo tongues, and basket stars
6. Yellow tube sponges – Tube sponges suck - literally. They draw in water, filter out planktonic organisms for food and then expel the waste water through their tubes
7. Anemone zone – Anemones are common in the small cracks along the interface between the sand and reef. Look for cleaner shrimps and juvenile wrasses hiding among their stinging tentacles
Species to Discover
Blue Tang, Atlantic Trumpetfish, Queen Triggerfish, Foureye Butterflyfish, Caribbean Reef Shark, Common Sea Fan, Bluestriped Grunt, Creole Wrasse, Flamingo Tongue, Blue Chromis, Longfin Damselfish, Encrusting Coralline Algae, Barred Hamlet, Red Lionfish
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- Location San Salvador Island, Bahamas
- Dive Site 13-40 m (40-130 ft)
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