The second remote reefs in our Coral Sea Atolls 2024 Expedition were the Kenn Reefs, 280nm offshore. We spent a week there.
Kenn Reefs are a cluster of reefs and cays in the shape of a foot, the furthest atoll east for this trip. There are four sections spread over 8nm north to south and 4nm along its southern edge: South Western Extreme (the toe), Eastern Projection (the foot), a small horseshoe reef (the ankle) and North Western Extreme (the leg) make up the group. There are three permanent cays and two or three shy ones that nearly disappear at high tide.
We initially dropped the pick on the NW edge of the foot, in 5.5m over clear sand and stayed there for a couple of days while the wind was from the southeast. There was a fair amount of current running along the reef.
Over the next few days the wind was forecast to ease, then shift to the west, get stronger again with gusts over 20 knots, and finally return to the south and lighten, so we sought shelter inside the shallow but extensive lagoon formed by the Eastern Projection, next to Observatory Cay. We anchored in 4m at high tide over clear sand. In southerlies it was a calm anchorage not affected by current and free of bommies once you got in there, but it got a bit lumpy when the wind was in the west.
The aerial views really give a sense of the extent of the lagoon. The Ankle and the North Western Extreme also have a lagoon which would be worth exploring, but we remained in the Eastern Projection for the duration of our stay.
Remnants of shipwrecks
The highlight of our stay at the Kenn Reefs was our discovery of remnants of shipwrecks at low tide along the outer edge of the reef. It was quite special seeing three large anchors laying on the reef flats as well as other wreckage. It heightened our awareness of the number of ships – nine of them in the 1800s and another one in 1970 – which fell victims to these reefs. The large admiralty anchor in the picture is thought to be that of the Bona Vista, a 207-ton brig wrecked in 1828. Touching such an iconic part of a vessel after nearly 200 years fills you with awe. And when you look at the breakers crashing along the reef edge on a totally calm day, you get a sense of how treacherous the atolls can be.
Birdlife at Kenn Reefs
We visited several cays, the largest being Observatory Cay, where there is an abundance of nesting noddies who raise their chicks there. We walked along the outside perimeter at low tide, so as not to disturb the colony and risk walking on the many eggs. Lots of fluffy chicks waddled about on their own looking very fragile, while their parents were fishing for food. Then the adults returned, somehow found their little ones and allowed them to huddle against or underneath their warm body. You wonder how they find each other! The other small cays were not permanent and more akin to sand banks, changing with tides and currents. The noddies used them as a resting place, but we saw no eggs or chicks there.
Unfortunately the noddies and a few boobies found both Anui and Roobi at night and we were all on poop clean up duty every morning. But that’s the price we pay for the delight of seeing them all around us.
Snorkels
With the crystal clear water and 50m visibility, we snorkeled too, ever the optimists we would find something to observe, photograph or spearfish and we did, although it took some effort. We tried different spots with mixed success but found the isolated bommies were best. One coral outcrop on the outside was covered with grape seaweed and different species of urchins hid in the nooks and crannies. There were a few hard corals along the wall a few meters down. Two other locations inside the lagoon were reasonable. The coral was recovering in patches and there were many more fish, big and small, including many Grey Reef Sharks patrolling intently. Wade was certainly more wary of them but speared us several fish, enough for the two boats. But the best was spotting multiple Moray Eels and several Olive Sea Snakes. Finds like these make a dive worthwhile.
We took many spectacular photos during our stay and have shared only a few in this post. You will have to wait for our cruise story to see the full collection.
Onto the next atoll
After a week, we had the weather window for our next passage. We did not get the conditions to track back SW to the Saumarez Reefs, so we jumped 80nm WNW to Frederick Reefs. More on this next week.
Keep commenting on our posts, we do read and appreciate your messages when we turn Starlink on, even if we are not as prompt as usual to answer them. We are after all a long way offshore!
Sv-Anui 
Great to hear from you way out there! Starlink makes such a difference off shore. Not a fan of moray eels, give me the heebies, but appreciate your photos nevertheless. Hope the weather has been kind, as we’ve had such beautiful sunny days & calm winds on the coast. Time to catch our breath after a few weeks of chores. A
Hi Amanda, We are coming up to two weeks offshore and we can see another week ahead. The weather has been kind although some days are very lumpy! We are doing everything we hoped for so are pleased. Some of the atolls are worse than others in terms of coral condition, but there is still some big fish, just less smaller ones. You wonder how they survive in spots where there is nothing but grey concrete looking blocks of shapeless substrate. Having fun regardless with Roobi. Good to hear you have left Boat Works and in cruising mode again!
Love the “inadequately surveyed” marking on the navionics chart. Just highlights how remote the area you are in is. The rusting anchors though are sobering reminders of the perils faced by early travellers, both the willing and unwilling. Hooray for modern nautical equipment. Glad you are finding underwater spots that bring colour and variety and above ground cuteness with fluffy bundles.
Hi Ann, yes we had to laugh about the large ‘inadequately surveyed’ areas. This is where satellite charts are a game changer and very much needed to reduce the risks out here. We have it easy compared to early mariners! Seeing the amount of wreckage, especially those admiralty anchors was amazing but sobering. There are so many wrecks along the edge of the atolls… But you can understand why when the depth goes from thousands of meters to nothing much in the space of a few hundred meters. The edges are really blunt and sudden!
Not enough superlatives in the English language …… awesome place, captured so well in your pics! So how did you get the snake to pose in the ‘s’ for snake position?
Hi Elgar, the snakes have been quite sedate, busy feeding on the bottom or going straight up for a breath of air then straight back down, without investigating the divers! Gotta be grateful for that as it is a bit off-putting when they wrap themselves around your leg. Kenn Reefs were special and we have left some more exploring for another time.
Super story and fabulous photos, as usual. Wishing you more good exploring weather.
Thanks Bill. We are thinking of you. The weather has been quite good, enabling us to do everything we want. Two weeks down, let’s hope the same again is yet to come.
It was so good to meet the three of you at Southport. I am glad you have got away from marina births and out to some new to you reefs! I will do some good weather dances and hope your weather windows come when needed 😀
Your stories and photos have inspired me to work on my free diving.
Hi Colin, always good to meet readers in person. Thanks for saying hello. Your good weather dances are working… we are starting our third week offshore and are having fun.
Wow just beautiful
Hi Mick, it is doubly special to be out here!
I enjoyed your post and loved the variety of animals, fish & coral in it. You are having a successful trip which is exciting for you all. Take care and stay safe
Cheers
Sue
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Hi Sue, yes things are working out really well with the weather and our buddy boat. Kenn Reefs were really special with the wrecks.
And the coral looked a lot healthier than your previous stops which is great
Hi Mick, yes there were patches of reef which were in recovery, but still a lot of damage!
Stunning underwater pictures. Nature is amazing. We just don’t always appreciate it. Looks like you are getting back into your happy place Chris. Very happy for you 😊
Hello Caroline, always nice to get your comments. Yes although not 100%, we are back doing what we love: adventuring in remote places few people get to experience. Aren’t we lucky!
Lucky but you have worked hard to be where you are. Cheers