Rowley Shoals

Rowley Shoals

Rowley Shoals

The Rowley Shoals, an atoll like group of 3 islands south of the Timor Sea, 260km West of the city of Broome, Australia are some of the most remote and pristine areas on the planet. They have achieved a reputation of being some of the best SCUBA diving locations in Australia, and probably the world, and are visited by chartered boats frequently since around 1977.

The group was named after Captain Rowley, who sighted Imperieuse Reef in 1800. It is believed that the Rowley Shoals reefs have been visited by fishermen from Indonesia, from at least the mid-18th century. The fishermen were also searching for Trepang (holothurians or sea cucumbers), turtle shell, trochus shell and shark fin.

The 3 islands are:

Mermaid Reef, the northeastern most island, is an atoll with a large coral-enclosed lagoon, which has a 60 meter opening that leads inside the lagoon. The coral rises steeply from the surrounding ocean, which is ~440 meters deep.

Clerke Reef (also called Minstrel Shoal), lies approximately 23 km south west of Mermaid Reef. Clerke Reef has a length of about 15 km, and a width of about 6 km. Near the northmost end of the reef lies Bedwell Islet, a bare sand cay about 2 m high. On the east and west sides of the reef there are a number of boulders which are dry. A passage leads to a lagoon, with many coral patches within the reef. Clerke Reef rises steeply from the surrounding ocean floor, which is 390 m deep. It was also named by Captain Philip Parker King, after Captain Clerke, who had reported it from a whaler between 1800 and 1809.

Imperieuse Reef, lies about 35 km southwest of Clerke Reef and is the southwesternmost island. It is about 16 km in length and has a width of about 8 km. On the south eastern edge of the reef there are a number of coral boulders, which rise about 3 m above the water mark. Large areas of the reef fall dry and there are two lagoons, which contain many coral patches within. Cunningham Islet, a small sand cay 3.7 meters high and devoid of vegetation, is located close within the northern extremity of the reef, and is surrounded by a small lagoon, 93 m wide. There is a lighthouse, Imperieuse Reef Light, on Imperieuse Reef.

Clerke and Imperieuse reefs are part of the Rowley Shoals Marine Park, which was formed in 1990 and extended in 2004. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) of Western Australia. The nearby Mermaid Reef Marine National Nature Reserve is managed by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA) with the assistance of CALM.

The spectacular scenery, diverse wildlife, and the untouched nature of the Rowley Shoals make it one of the most exotic and desireable SCUBA spots on Earth.

For more information and pictures, please see: http://www.squidoo.com/rowley-shoals

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