Underwater Photo Location: Atlantis, Lifuka Island, Ha'apai Group.

Atlantis is a very large Sea Mount that drops off to over 50 meters on the West face and shallows to less than three meters in places. It can be accessed by boat from Lifuka Island. The reef is special as it is adorned by simply spectacular hard coral that covers almost every square inch of the reef down to 16 meters or so, after this it gives way to creviced rock face which falls away to the depths. A beautiful garden of pink gorgonian fans sits at the base of one particular wall in 35 meters of water and a large anchor lies beside it, now lost to the sea. The hard corals are also in amazing and highly varied forms such as fine branching, big table corals and massive coral formations, some areas have beautiful cabbage coral. The main mount has four smaller mounts off it, these too are smothered in Coral and lead out to the deeper drop offs. Fish life is plentiful here with some fine specimens of Red Snapper to be sighted regularly, Damsel fish almost block out the light racing up and down from their coral refuges in search of food, all dart in unison with each exhalation. Midnightnight Snapper, Neon Fusiliers and Moorish Idols are common. Unicornfish school at the wall. There are a number of overhangs which conceal beautiful red, green and yellow sea fans with yellow damselfish, floral wrasse and trumpetfish hiding in the branches. It is not uncommon to see lobster here. Atlantis assaults the visual sense from the second you look down upon descent and the life dances before you until you surface again. Afetr over six hundred dives in Ha'apai this is without doubt one of the very best I have seen. I can only apologise that my words do not do it justice.
Facts about Atlantis, Lifuka Island, Ha'apai Group.

• It is in Tonga
• Atlantis, Lifuka Island, Ha'apai Group. is in the Pacific.
• The typical depth is 50+ Metres 160+ Feet.
• The typical visibility is 10-30 Metres 30-100 Feet.