Located in the Coral Sea , the Entrecasteaux reefs are reefs at the water's edge in northwestern New Caledonia . Uninhabited, they are located 223 km from the northeastern tip of Grande Terre , in the extension of the Belep Islands from which they are separated by the "Grand Passage" strait 500 to 600 meters deep. They constitute the northern limit of the lagoon of the archipelago of New Caledonia .