"reefs" is a correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it as a noun to refer to "a ridge of rocks, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of a body of water". For example, "Scuba divers love exploring the colorful reefs off the coast of Barbados."
And it's just a short (but steep) walk from Flamands beach, which has magnificent waves that roll in off the reefs, clapping and hissing, and then racing up the sand in protruding fingers of surf.
The southern islands fringe the Sir Francis Drake Channel, which teems with coral reefs, colourful fish and turtles.
Davide Pugliese, the chef who served up our best meal at the excellent Brandywine Bay restaurant on Tortola, warns that tropical fish poisoning, or ciguatera, can be caught from predatory fish caught around local reefs.
Smallest country taking part: Divers on the smallest island nation of the world, Nauru (8.1 square miles) will plunge into their coral reefs for an underwater clean-up.
It's concerning to me that we have an ideologically driven prime minister who has no empathy for the wonder of the natural world, from our reefs to our rainforests.
Take a scenic train trip out to Simons Town for sheltered shore entries and serene kelp forests for beginners, through to wrecks, reefs, caves and swim-throughs aplenty.
"There is substantial evidence to indicate that the already degraded coral reefs and seagrasses in the region will be exposed to not only six to seven years of degraded water quality due to the dredging and disposal but also to additional environmental impacts from increasing sea temperatures, cyclones, floodwaters during this time," the executive summary says.
Efforts to preserve the reefs lining the coast have resulted in an impressive recovery of plants and fish, and even experienced divers will be impressed by the aquatic life thriving just below the surface.
The QRC ads make no mention of the impact of burning coal and gas on greenhouse gas emissions, on climate change and on the vulnerability of coral reefs to rising temperatures and ocean acidification.
Butler said the report "cast serious doubt" on reassurances that dumping dredged sand, silt and clay wouldn't damage coral reefs, dolphins, dugongs and other animals.
Sweatman said the Great Barrier Reef was well managed compared with other reefs around the world, which have suffered from over-fishing where top predators have been removed, leading to negative effects flowing down the food chain.
