The reef flat is full of boulders which have been thrown here by the storm. There is nothing much to see at Bougainville Reef. So we immediately head for Osprey Reef and for its northern part called the North Point. The situation is the same, no corals and a reef flat full of boulders. The cyclone has wiped out this one as well.
Cyclones are in fact one of the major decomposing forces of coral reefs.
However, the growth rate of the coral is faster that the breakdown forces. There is a net production of reefs, and within 5-7 years, the Bougainville Reef and Osprey Reef will healthy again. Here on the corner of this oceanic reef, the bottom fall to about 25 metres and the current is heavy ,bringing a long a lot of food for smaller fish which again attracts the sharks. We enter the water and fall slowly down to a platform on 20 metres. The sharks are friendly and show no sign of aggression.