Entrecasteaux Atoll

The Entrecasteaux reefs mark the northwestern end of New Caledonia's great lagoon. Beyond the Belep Islands, the deep Grand Passage separates these low coral formations from the reefs closer to Grande Terre. Huon and Surprise are the largest atolls in the group. Antoine Bruny d'Entrecasteaux's expedition reached the reefs on 1 July 1792, and whalers visited them in the early nineteenth century.