Chagos High Sea

East of the Chagos banks, the seabed drops into the deep Central Indian Basin. The Chagos–Laccadive Ridge forms its western boundary, with coral atolls rising from the ridge toward the surface. Farther east, the long Ninetyeast Ridge separates the basin from the Wharton Basin. Here the open water lies well beyond the shallow reef rims of the Chagos archipelago.