Wanderlust World Wanderlust World If you look out at the Gulf of Mexico from the coastal city of Galveston, Texas you can see oil platforms. But what you can't see is the coral reefs clustered along the coast. These reefs may not be as well-known as those in Hawaii or Florida, but they are just as spectacular.
The two formations that make up the East and West Flower Garden Banks were first discovered by grouper fishermen in the late 1800s. These fishermen brought up the vivid marine life in their nets, and named it a Flower Garden. Located about 120 miles from Galveston, Texas in the Gulf of Mexico, Flower Garden Banks is the northernmost reef on the North American continental shelf. In 1992 it became a national marine sanctuary in an effort to protect this pristine and least disturbed Atlantic reef. The reef supports a myriad of marine life, including sea turtles, manta rays and whale and hammerhead sharks.
Roughly 75 miles southeast of Freeport, Texas, and 30 miles northwest of Flower Garden Banks is Stetson Banks. The reef cap here is about 800 yards long and 200 yards wide. There are only nine varieties of coral here, as the water is too cool in the winter to support as many species as Flower Garden Banks. Named for the oceanographer Henry C. Stetson, this reef is populated by a wide variety of fish and marine life, and is a popular spot for fishing and scuba diving. Stetson Banks is part of the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary.
This reef is deeper than Stetson and Flower Garden, about 130 feet, which is close to the limit for recreational divers. As a result, Geyer is the most undisturbed reef in the Gulf of Mexico. About 120 miles from Galveston, Geyer Banks is dominated by yellowtail reef fish, but you can also see a rare species of marbled grouper.