Rowley Shoals
The Rowley Shoals is a group of three atoll-like coral reefs south of the Timor Sea, about west of Broome on the northwestern Australian coast, centered on , on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. Each atoll covers an area of around within the rim of the reef, including the lagoons, while the land areas are negligible. They belong to Western Australia. They all rise steeply from the surrounding ocean floor. To the northeast lie the Scott and Seringapatam Reefs which are located on the same undersea platform. Naming and history. The  Rowley Shoals were so named by Captain Phillip Parker King in 1818 in honour of Captain Rowley who first sighted the "Imperieuse Reef" in 1800. It is believed that the Rowley Shoals reefs have been visited by fishermen from Indonesia, from at least the mid-18th century. The fishermen were also collecting or hunting for Trepang (holothurians or sea cucumbers), turtle shell, trochus shell and shark fin. These early visitors apparently knew the Rowley Shoals as "Pulau Pulo Dhaoh". In later years, fishermen from Roti Island, south of Timor, also visited the Rowley Shoals, which they knew as "Pulau Bawa Angin . The individual reefs were also given names, Mermaid Reef being called Pulau Manjariti", Clerke Reef was "Pulau Tengah" and Imperieuse Reef was "Pulau Matsohor". Conservation. Mermaid Reef is listed on Australia's Commonwealth Heritage List and all three reefs of the Rowley Shoals were registered on the former Register of the National Estate. The Shoals are the only known origin and home of several unusual species, including the Western Australian sculpin, and so are of major ecological value. Tourism. Since about 1977 charter boats based from Broome began operating deep sea fishing and diving expeditions to the reefs and seas  around. Since this time interest in the area has grown considerably and the Rowley Shoals has achieved a reputation for offering some of the best diving in Australia.