What is the Vabbinfaru Lotus, and how can I find it?
The Vabbinfaru Lotus is a flower-shaped coral reef structure built from half a ton of welded construction steel rods. Located on the island’s outer reef slope some 225 meters from the “Sunset Jetty”, it is about 12 meters (40 feet) across. The Lotus was put under power on 15th November 2001. Limestone crystals began to grow on top of the steel the following day turning it white. Coral fragments were immediately transplanted onto the Lotus, growing exceptionally fast due to the Mineral Accretion process. In order to find the Lotus, simply follow the cables from the jetty. If the tide is low, you can also swim to the yellow buoy marking the passage across the reef and continue to the left along the outer reef for about 50 meters. The shallowest portions of the Lotus are about three meters deep and the deepest around ten meters.
