The Reef Channels

Nauru's fringing reef meets the ocean in surf, so the island cut its own doors: boat channels blasted and worked through the reef flat - Anibare's and the ring's others - double as the national swimming pools, deep clear lanes where the water calms inside the entrance, fish traffic the walls, and afternoon crowds take the plunge culture seriously. The channels launch the fishing boats at their built purpose, sunset gilds the lanes on the west side, and visitors join the swimming where locals do - the reliable read on each channel's day. The channels were cut through the reef by hand so that boats could reach the shore at all.

What you actually see

• The swimming lanes - deep clear channels through the flat.
• The fish walls - reef life along the cuts.
• The boat launches - the channels' working purpose.
• The plunge culture - the island's pool hour observed.

When to go

May to October for the calmest lanes; afternoons carry the social swim, mornings the clearest water.

Honest expectations

Surge runs the entrances - swim where locals swim and mind the boat traffic; coral edges are sharp as standard.

Nearby

Anibare Bay, Yaren and the ring road's coast.