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The reef flat is shallow, and usually light brown with sediment. This is an area of coral sand and detritus, with small boulders of hardy massive corals and clusters of branching Acropora coral, growing in pools. Usually there are fewer than a handful of very hardy coral species on the reef flat.

Most divers will walk or wade across this area (wearing a pair of dive boots, of course) without even looking down. Here there are echinoderms—particularly brittle stars, which sometimes occur in great numbers—small fish, a variety of molluscs and soft algaes. Sometimes there will be meadows of the calcareous alga Halimeda.

The back reef or boat channel is a deeper area, between the reef flat and the shore. Although often deep enough for swimming, the coral growth here is poor because of sediment run-off from the shore. Resistant Pontes, Acropora or Goniastrea grow in the boat channel in patches. Further inland, there may be beds of turtle grass, a rich habitat for juvenile fishes and many crustaceans.