Fringing reefs are the simplest and mostcommon kind of reef. They develop nearshore throughout the tropics, whereverthere is some kind of hard surface for thesettlement of coral larvae. Rocky shore-lines provide the best conditions forfringing reefs. Fringing reefs also grow onsoft bottoms if there is even a small hardpatch that lets the corals get a foothold.Once they get started, the corals createtheir own hard bottom and the reef slowly expands