Reef World Map

About Reef World Map 🪸

Reef World Map charts the reefs of the world's oceans — coral reefs, rocky reefs and the submerged structures that draw divers, snorkellers and marine life alike.

Reefs are drawn from OpenStreetMap's `natural=reef` tag and added by the mapping community. It shows roughly where reefs lie, not navigational detail — never use it for safe passage by boat or for judging conditions in the water.

Who is behind this site?

Reef World Map is built and maintained by Emil Björk, an independent developer based in Sweden. The site grew out of a passion for maps, travel and open data, alongside a professional background in IT consulting.

How it works

Every point is fetched from the OpenStreetMap Overpass API, deduplicated, tagged by country and stored as a static GeoJSON file — no database, instant to load. Click any point to see a description from Wikipedia, a photo from Wikimedia Commons (or Mapillary as a fallback) and, where available, its Google rating.

Data freshness

The dataset is automatically refreshed once a month from OpenStreetMap via a scheduled GitHub Action, so the map stays current as the world is mapped.

Spot something missing?

This map is only as complete as OpenStreetMap itself. If you know a reefs that isn't here, you can add it directly to OpenStreetMap — it's free, open and will appear here at the next refresh.

Add a missing place on OpenStreetMap →

New to OpenStreetMap? See the how-to-tag guide for reefs. Edits show up here at the next monthly refresh.

Report an error or a wrong location

Found a reefs in the wrong spot, with outdated details, or listed twice? The data lives in OpenStreetMap, so the quickest fix is a short note there — a local mapper reviews it and the correction flows back to this map at the next refresh.

Leave a note on OpenStreetMap →

Get in touch

Questions, feedback, or a partnership idea? We'd love to hear from you — reach us at hello@reefworldmap.com.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to the most common questions are on our FAQ page →

Credits