NavList:

Have attached a small pic, taken by me from above, of an atoll (defined by my dictionary as: "a ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon"). This one is called Middleton Reef and lies about halfway between Nouméa and Sydney.
 
Over the years it, along with its sister Elizabeth Reef, have attracted their own share of ship-wrecks. An old Pilot tells me that this is because its on the steamer track between Melbourne and Singapore, but suspect a main reason is simply because atolls, being so low-lying, are so difficult to see, even from relatively close, even when dead ahead.

For years I've wanted to go there. I've heard that the lagoon is infested with many different species of brightly coloured and potentially deadly sea snakes, amidst a wealth of other marine life. Luckily enough sea-snakes, while being creatures that readily approach swimmers, presumably out of curiosity, are rarely aggressive. Luckily enough because being bitten while at Middleton Reef would most likely be a death sentence. Their venom is particularly toxic.

Yachts can enter and anchor inside the lagoon, with extreme caution, as it is full of coral heads lurking just below the surface.

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