"Coral Reefs"

[diverkid]

In my 7th grade science book it said " The only CORAL reefs in the USA is offshore at Florida and Hawaii" I Find that hard to believe, there certainly is more!! I know california has ROCK reefs but any CORAL reefs? A friend said when they were in summer camp at Catalina Island they went diving. He stated that there was coral reefs, I said that he was mistakened about rock reefs and there weren't any coral reefs. But he was still convinced they were coral. Can anyone tell me if there is any "CORAL" reefs offshore california or Catalina? Thanx Yall

 

[archman]

Your science book was referring to "hermatypic" reefs, which are of the "massive" and "photosynthetic" type. Such reefs require warm, clear, and shallow waters to grow. You cannot have those in temperate California waters. Branching/encrusting "ahermatypic" corals you CAN have. These do not form what most scientists consider as reefs... groves maybe. Oculina and Lophelia "reefs" are thus misnomers for the strict zoologists.

There's also a movement that equates hermatypic corals with merely being massive, but not photosynthetic. Such divisions are primarily used to classify specific deepwater forms.

Hermatypic reefs also exist offshore of Texas/Lousisiana, besides Florida and Hawaii. They're among the most pristine in the Caribbean. Gray's reef off of Georgia is made up of ahermatypics, so isn't usually counted as a "coral" reef.

 

[kelpmermaid]

The water is too cold for that. We do have cup corals, and one or two locations with purple hydrocoral (not, I think, a true coral.) But if you are thinking brain, elkhorn, or soft corals, the answer is "no." Of course, there are lot of other interesting things to see.