Despite its ominous name, Dangerous Reef is no more dangerous than other reefs. Its name came about because sharks would often be found sleeping in the caves to the south. The reef marks the southernmost point of St. John’s reefs and lies 30 km from the mainland. With its length of 410 m, it provides good shelter from the wind and waves and is therefore also often moored at overnight, which unfortunately also leads to a lot of divers underwater.
The reef is surrounded by steep walls that meet the sloping seabed at a depth of 20 m. They are moderately covered with corals and lined with overhangs and openings A. At the reef’s northern tip lies a coral garden A that stretches into the sea and features coral towers at its northern end A, while short caverns A lie beneath the moorings to the south at a depth of 7 to 10 m. They are easy to explore, since they do not reach far into the reef and always lead back out in a semicircle, making them a popular place for night dives. When diving here at night, expect to come across many divers swimming in all directions through the passages with their torches. Not far to the west of the caverns, a small but beautiful coral garden A grows along the reef wall offering a good scene for photographers, and on the sandy seabed to the east of the caverns lie large coral rocks with hidden inhabitants A.
The currents flow moderately along the western and eastern sides of the reef. Nevertheless, the area beneath the moorings is sheltered from them. Since both the eastern and western sides are equally abundant with corals, choose the side that lies in the sunlight when mooring here during the day.
