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Located just offshore near Point Blanco, Orford Reef is a cluster of submerged haystack rock formations, only the tops of which are visible above water. Beneath the waves, the areas between these rocks form a deep reef of narrow crevasses and swaying forests of bull kelp which can reach lengths up to 100 feet (30 meters.)
Far below the kelp forest, the reef provides a natural shelter from the weather and wave action, creating a stable refuge for a variety of species. One of the most predominant fish in the Orford Reef is the Rockfish, of which there are sixty different species in the Pacific Ocean. These predatory fish will often hang suspended in the still waters or hide among the drifting kelp as they stalk their unsuspecting prey.
Oregon’s waters do not have a great diversity of hard and soft coral species when compared to tropical areas, but the volcanic geography of the coast did create numerous rocky reefs. One of the best known is the Orford Reef, located several miles offshore from Port Orford on the South Oregon Coast. In the dark valleys of the reef grow vast forests of bull kelp, their long fronds stretching as much as 100 feet (30 m) to the sunlit surface. Seabirds may perch on these floating mats of kelp, using them as platforms to hunt the fish schooling below. Further down, rockfish are also using the reef as a hunting ground. The fish will use barbs on their fins to anchor themselves to the rocky walls, waiting patiently for something tasty to swim by before they attack. Likewise, some of Oregon’s larger predators – including the great white shark and the orca — may prowl the reefs in search of food like harbor seals and Steller sea lions.
