Jan 31, 2023 · The bathymetric data revealed a unique reef with spectacularly high live coral cover on a convex curving ridge in the Gulf of Honduras (Fig. 1c) at the precipice of the Cayman Trench, reminiscent of a crown overlooking the trench, thus the ‘Cayman Crown.’

Properly protected and managed, the “Cayman Crown” can help ensure biological connectivity and permanence of marine resources in the MAR. Legal designation of this important reef has been achieved in both countries.

Dubbed “The Cayman Crown,” this secret coral garden that surpasses the size of Manhattan is a refuge for a vast array of underwater life, from schools of yellow jack and blue tang to bottlenose...

Apr 8, 2021 · The Cayman Crown is described as the most underrepresented habitat in the marine protected areas system of Belize and Guatemala and is believed to be a biologically important hotspot, a fish spawning aggregation site (FSA) for numerous fin fish species and habitat for deep-slope snapper and bottom-dwelling species.

This expansion includes but is not restricted to protecting a portion of a vital coral reef ecosystem called as the Corona Reef or Cayman Crown, which straddles the maritime boundary between southern Belize and Guatemala.

In the middle of the MAR, offshore from the Guatemalan coast, scientists discovered in 2014 a wonderful hidden gem: a new and yet uncharted part of the coral reef that was baptized Cayman Crown because of its crown-like form.

Different from Carrie Bow Caye, the Cayman Crown reef ridge forms the seaward margin of a lagoonal basin, extending to the Belize/Guatemala mainland. The basin is 50–60 m deep and punctuated by shallow sea-mounts that rise to within 25 …

The Cayman Crown is a recently identified, highly resilient coral reef ecosystem in the deep-water channel between Belize and Guatemala. We collected single and multi-beam sonar data to map...

The Cayman Crown is a recently identified, highly resilient coral reef ecosystem in the deep-water channel between Belize and Guatemala.

The Cayman Crown coral reef, discovered in 2014, is being studied thanks to the work of Ana Giró of Healthy Reefs Initiative and Ángela Mojica of Pixan’Ja. It is an extraordinary coral reef, located at the border between Guatemala and Belize.