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Located
between Thomas ; Reef and Jackson Reef, Woodhouse Reef is narrow and long and
thus offers no shelter at all to boats and has no fixed moorings. Consequently
scuba divers in this spot must make a drift dive — and this must be done only
in good weather conditions.The best time is usually the morning because of the
direct sunlight. The most interesting part of the reef, which is around 0.8
miles long, is the northern half of the eastern side, with a canyon that opens
out at a depth of
about 30 meters and runs parallel to the main axis of the reef until it reaches
a sandy ledge. At the exit of the canyon on its right side you can find a red
anemone. The sandy ledge then widens northwards to a depth of 14 meters,
leading to the saddle that connects Woodhouse and Jackson reefs. For the entire route the water
is remarkably clear and it is quite easy to see jackfish, sea turtles, sharks
and a great many corals, both hard and soft, including some colonies of black
coral (Antipathes
sp.) that are at a depth of about 22-26 meters. It is advisable to end your
dive before the saddle, especially when the sea is choppy because water
turbulence with vortices may be created and you may come upon a dangerous,
powerful eddy nicknamed 'the washing machine' by local scuba divers, which can
be crossed only in the best weather conditions
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