Jupiter Reef or Jupiter Breakers is a supposed

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...

in the South Pacific (south of French

Tuamotu The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (french: Îles Tuamotu, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extendin ...

islands and east of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

), between other supposed reefs,

Maria Theresa Reef The Maria Theresa Reef is a supposed reef in the South Pacific (south of the French Tuamotu islands and east of New Zealand); it appears to be a phantom reef. It is also known as Tabor Island or Tabor Reef on French maps. Reports Bernhard Kraut ...

to the south and

Ernest Legouve Reef The Ernest Legouve Reef is a phantom reef supposed to be located in the South Pacific, south of French Tuamotu Islands and east of New Zealand. Krauth reports that it is situated at . According to a statement of the International Hydrographic Bu ...

to the north; it appears to be a

phantom reef A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigati ...

. Mr. Kinge, commanding the German barque ''Jupiter'' on a voyage between

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area ...

and

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

, reported having passed breakers during the night of December 3, 1878, in . The breakers were observed in two places, each of which had a diameter of about 30 yards, and appeared to be a quarter of a mile apart. No further intelligence has been obtained regarding this shoal. Other nearby historically reported reefs which appear not to exist include

, and

Wachusett Reef Wachusett Reef was a phantom reef in the Antarctic Ocean. Captain Lambert of the ship ''Wachusett'' reported that on June 4, 1899 he passed over a reef which appeared to be of coral formation in approximately latitude . The reef appeared to be ...

References

Phantom islands Reefs of the Pacific Ocean {{marine-geo-stub