Temple Reef
{{Short description|Artificial reef off the coast of Pondicherry, India}}
Temple Reef is an artificial reef off the coast of Pondicherry, India.{{cite news | url=http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/15-off-beat-places-to-see-this-summer-20140624/temple-reef | title=15 Offbeat Places to See This Summer – Temple Reef | publisher=www.mensjournal.com/ | access-date=2 October 2014 | author=Richardson, Clare| newspaper=Men's Journal }} It was constructed of fully recycled materials such as concrete blocks, rocks, trees, palm leaves, and iron bars by the [https://templeadventures.com Temple Adventures] team starting from October 2013.{{cite web | url=https://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/what-is-cooking-underwater-in-the-bay-of-bengal-slideshow/what-is-cooking-underwater-in-the-bay-of-bengal-photo-1382587132064.html?ucs_mail_preview_popupsignin=1 | title=What is Cooking Underwater in the Bay of Bengal? | publisher=https://in.news.yahoo.com | access-date=2 October 2014 | author=Karat, Jyothy}} [http://temple-reef-foundation.org/ Temple Reef Foundation] currently maintains and monitors the reef.
Etymology
The reef was named both after its creator, Temple Adventures, and the shape of the site on the ocean floor. The current dive site is now divided into four different sites:
1) Original Temple Reef
3) Beer Garden
4) Temple 2 aka Wreck City
Location
It is located {{convert|18|m|-1||abbr=on}} below the surface, 5 km west, off the Coromandel coast of Pondicherry, India in the Bay of Bengal.{{cite web | url=http://www.worlddivingreview.com/temple-adventures-pondicherry-india | title=Temple Adventures – Pondicherry – India | publisher=World Diving Review | access-date=2 October 2014}}
Biodiversity
Within a short span of time, the reef became home to a diverse aquatic life. There is a vast range of corals and fishes like groupers, lion fish, kingfish, eagle and manta rays, moray eels, sea snakes, triggerfish, parrot fish, angelfish, bannerfish, butterflyfish and crustaceans.{{cite web | url=http://www.pondydivers.org/about-diving/ | title=Scuba Diving | publisher=Pondy Divers Association | access-date=2 October 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://shubhachandra.blogspot.in/2014/04/give-time-break-pondicherry.html | title=Give time a break – Pondicherry! | publisher=Subash | date=22 April 2014 | access-date=2 October 2014 | author=Subash}} Overall there has been 75 + different species recorded in this site. Some other marine life are: Malabar Grouper, Red Snapper, Blue line Grouper, Coral Banded Shrimp, Dancing Durban Shrimp, Spearing Mantis Shrimp, Humphead Batfish, Roundface Batfish, Zebra Batfish, Chevron Barracuda, Yellowtail Barracuda, Yellow Boxfish, Blue Spot Toby, Titan Triggerfish, Indian Vagabond Butterfly fish, Harlequin Sweetlips, Longfin Bannerfish, Blue tang surgeonfish Bronzelined Rabbitfish, Eyestripe Surgeonfish, Gold-lined spinefoot, Cleaner wrasse, Three spot Dascyllus, Blue ring angel fish, Yellowtail Chromis, Sargent fish, Copper Sweepers, Ring tailed Cardinalfish, Brown Lionfish, Chinese Trumpetfish, Salmacis Belli, Honeycomb Moray Eel, Moray Eels, Garden Eels, Porcupine Puffer fish, Blackspotted pufferfish, Peacock sole, Yellowspot Goatfish, Jackfish, Mackerels, Valenciennea Goby, Amblyeleotris Goby, Yellow Prawn Goby, Red Lionfish, Clearfin Lionfish, Pterois mombasae Lionfish.
See also
{{Portal|Ecology}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.templeadventures.com Temple Adventures]
{{coord missing|Indian Ocean}}
Category:Reefs of the Indian Ocean