Coral reefs of the Virgin Islands other coral larvae to attach to and grow on. These corals can form into three different structures; fringing reefs, which are reefs that are close to the shore, barrier reefs, which are reefs that are alongside the shore and is separated by deep water, and an atoll reef which is a coral reef that circles a lagoon or body of water. As stated, the coral reefs such as fringing reefs, deep reefs, patch reefs and spur and groove formation are distributed over three islands in the Virgin Islands which are St. Croix (Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological
Tema Reef Tema Reef Tema Reef, also called Tima Reef, is a submerged coral reef in the northern Cook Islands, southeast of Pukapuka. No coral or rock shows above water, but the sea breaks heavily over the reef. The reef measures about , covering a shallow but submerged area of . Legend has it that Tima, an Aitutakian warrior sailed to Nassau, but was chased away by Ngalewu, a chief from Pukapuka. On his return to Aitutaki he passed the reef nearby and named it "Te Toka-O-Tima", the Stone of Tima The reef was sighted by Commodore John Byron on June 21,