Coral Sea

The Coral Sea spreads between northeastern Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Queensland's Great Barrier Reef lies along its western edge, while the Coral Sea Plateau and continental-shelf blocks create shallow banks beyond the coast. Deeper basins and ridges lie farther east, separating open water from the island arcs of the western Pacific.

Connections lead south to the Tasman Sea, north to the Solomon Sea, west through Torres Strait toward the Arafura Sea, and east into the Pacific. Reefs break both current and swell, producing rich habitats but making navigation difficult. The East Australian Current carries warm water south along the coast, while tropical cyclones and heavy rain mark the warm season.

Pacific voyagers crossed these waters in canoes, using islands, birds and cloud patterns as guides. From the sixteenth century European ships entered the sea through the Torres Strait and along the Queensland coast, charting reefs only slowly and often relying on island pilots and sheltered anchorages. The sea's history is thus a meeting of long voyaging routes and difficult coral geography.