Funding and Support
Funding for the County’s artificial reef program comes from
vessel registration fees supplemented by grants from federal and
state agencies. Other sources of funding include donations from
fishing tournaments, local dive associations, corporations, and
individuals. Non-monetary support includes donated reef
material such as old concrete and ships. Florida Power & Light
has been a longtime supporter of the County’s program by
allowing use of its property located near Lake Worth Inlet as a
staging site.
Additional support for the program comes from the Palm Beach
County Reef Research Team. These dedicated volunteer scuba
divers give thousands of hours of their time monitoring marine
life on the County’s reefs, both natural and artificial. They collect
biological and physical information and have established a
substantial long-term data set that helps the County and State
of Florida improve future artificial reef design and construction.
Get Involved
Here are a few things you can do:
• Support the Palm Beach County Reef Research Team.
For more information, go to:
www.pbcgov.org/erm/coastal/reef/research-team
• Contact the Palm Beach County Speakers Bureau to
schedule a speaker to discuss the artificial reef program
at your next meeting. Call (561) 355-2754
• Be a responsible artificial reef user: properly anchor your
vessel, remove your trash, take only pictures.
• Learn more about the County’s artificial reef program at:
www.pbcgov.org/erm/coastal/reef
NOTABLE ARTIFICIAL REEFS
Cross Current Reef
Location: Approximately ¾ mile southeast of the
Lake Worth Inlet
Snorkel Reefs
SEA EMPEROR Reef
Material: Limestone boulders and an old barge
Details: In 1998, this unique reef was constructed
by filling a 195-foot barge with limestone boulders
and deploying it perpendicular to the current.
Hence, the reef was
named “Cross Current.”
Limestone boulders
were then placed
in “finger-like”
formations on
the northeast and
northwest corners
of the barge with
each finger extending
northward approximately 150 feet. In
1999 additional limestone
boulders were scattered on the
south side of the barge. Due to its proximity to the
inlet, this reef is constantly covered with thousands
of fish.
Size: Varies
Depth: 6-12 feet
Material: Limestone boulders
Details: These reefs have been constructed in
shallow water providing excellent opportunities
for snorkelers to simply walk off the beach with a
mask, fins,
and snorkel
and see an
amazing
array of
marine life.
The reefs
are typically
covered with
thousands of
juvenile fish.
Snorkelers are also likely to see an occasional
barracuda or two hanging around, colorful tropical
fish such as parrotfish and angelfish, and even an
elusive tarpon passing through. Snorkeling reefs
have been built at Singer Island, Peanut Island,
Kreusler Park, Gulfstream, Ocean Ridge, Red Reef
Park, and South Boca Raton.
Location: Approximately 1 mile southeast of the
Boca Raton Inlet
Location: Approximately one mile southeast of the
Lake Worth Inlet
Depth: 35 – 45 feet
Size: About one-quarter acre
Size: Approximately 11 acres
Material: Limestone boulders and old concrete
material
Depth: 65 feet
Depth: 90 feet
Material: Hopper barge and old concrete culverts
Material: Ships, limestone boulders, and old concrete
material
Details: This 171-foot hopper barge was provided
by a dredging company as part of a fine it received
for breaking environmental
laws. In preparation for
reefing, the barge was
filled with large
concrete culverts.
During deployment,
the barge turned
upside down spilling
the culverts east
of where the barge
eventually came to rest
on the ocean floor. The barge’s
bottom-dump doors fell open during deployment
creating “sky lights” into its four compartments
giving scuba divers the impression of diving in a
cave. The pile of concrete culverts that landed
adjacent to the barge has created a very diverse
habitat with many unusual fish.
Photo Credit: Dave Snyder
Photo Credit: Jennifer Podis
Photo Credit: John Lopinot
In the program’s early years, old ships were the often used
to build artificial reefs. Vessels were “decommissioned”
by removing contaminants
and safety hazards, fitted
with explosives, and
towed to a permitted site
where the explosives
were detonated with
much fanfare. While this
provided a great show
for observers, it raised
concerns. Now a more
environmentally-friendly method is used. Large holes are
pre-cut in the hull and closed with removable covers. Once
on site, the covers are removed and the ship sinks.
Today most new
artificial reefs are
constructed with
materials such as
old concrete and
limestone boulders
which more closely
mimic the natural
reef system. Ships
are deployed but
usually in combination with concrete and limestone to
increase habitat diversity and value.
Location: Jupiter Inlet, Lake Worth Inlet, South Lake
Worth Inlet, Boca Raton Inlet
Size: 5 acres each
Location: Multiple sites
Depth: 60 feet
MANY THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
During the 1984 Thanksgiving Day storm, the merchant
vessel MERCEDES ran aground on Palm Beach. With no
formal artificial reef program in Palm Beach County, the
vessel had to be towed to Broward County for reefing.
The following year, the Palm Beach County Board of
County Commissioners established a committee to
oversee artificial reef
projects. The committee’s
inaugural project was the
sinking of a donated Rolls
Royce. Ever since, local
divers and anglers are
quick to proclaim that
“Broward County got the
Mercedes, but Palm Beach
County got the Rolls!”
Governor’s River Walk Reef
Size: About 2.5 acres
• Learn more about the State’s coral reef conservation
program at: www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/programs/coral
A Little History
Stepping Stone Reefs
Palm Beach County Reef
Research Team
Are you a certified scuba diver?
Are you fascinated by the astonishing variety of sea life in the
County’s nearshore and offshore
waters? Then the Palm Beach
County Reef Research Team
(RRT) may be for you! Formed
Photo Credit: Linton Creel
in 1991, the RRT is a group of
volunteer citizen-scientist divers operating under the
umbrella of the Palm Beach Zoo (www.palmbeachzoo.org).
Team members monitor County reefs using grant
funding from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission.
Palm Beach County’s
ARTIFICIAL
REEF PROGRAM
The RRT’s mission is to observe, collect, document and
record scientific data for use in enhancing Palm Beach
County’s marine habitats. They map, conduct fish
counts, and monitor
invertebrates on many of
the County's man-made
and natural reefs. They
also help educate the
general public about their
mission and the need to
protect both the natural
and artificial reef systems. Photo Credit: Jennifer Podis
Details: Deployed in 2002, this reef is made up of
four ships: the ST. JACQUES, the THOZINA, the
SHASHA BOEKANIER, and the GILBERT SEA. All
were donated by the federal Department of Homeland
Security as part of Operation River Walk, a program
to eliminate drug smuggling operations on the
Miami River. In 2005, 800 tons of old concrete
bridge material
and 1,200 tons
of limestone
boulders were
deployed on the
east side of the
existing reef.
That same year,
a memorial
Photo Credit: Linton Creel
statue was placed
near the GILBERT SEA by Delray Beach police and
firefighters in honor of a fallen comrade. One year
later a second corridor of limestone boulders was
added on the western edge of the reef. Based on
reef monitoring reports, the addition of limestone and
concrete has increased the habitat value of this reef
such that the species
counts of fish are
similar to those on
natural reefs. During
winter, lemon sharks
tend to congregate
around the ships.
Photo Credit: Keith Mille, FWC
The Importance of
Artificial Reefs
Artificial reefs are man-made
habitats constructed from
old ships, heavy-gauge steel
structures, concrete, prefabricated modules, and
limestone boulders. They
are placed in areas away from
natural reefs, creating new
hard bottom communities.
Once established, they function as a natural reef system
providing food, shelter, protection, and spawning areas
for hundreds of species of
fish and other marine life.
They take pressure off the
natural reef system by
providing alternative
recreational areas for
scuba divers and anglers.
Reef-building Materials
SHIPS
To date, 45 ships, barges, tugboats, and other vessels
have been used to construct artificial reefs. They
range in size from the 70-foot treasure hunter
SWORDFISH to the 340-foot former car and passenger
ferry PRINCESS ANNE. Ships develop their own
unique assemblages of fish and underwater life and
are popular with anglers and scuba divers. Used in
combination with other materials, such as limestone
boulders and concrete, ships form complex
ecosystems rivaling those of natural reefs.
Photo Credit: Linton Creel
LIMESTONE
Today, the most frequently used reefing material is
limestone boulders. This material simulates the
Anastasia Formation which is the base of the County’s
natural reef system. When placed in shallow water,
limestone boulders attract thousands of juvenile fish
forming a fish “nursery.” To date, over 130,000 tons
of limestone boulders have been deployed in 28
different reefs located in shallow, nearshore water
out to depths of about 90 feet.
Photo Credit: WPB Fishing Club
Most artificial reefs are constructed at depths appropriate
for recreational scuba divers (less than 100 feet). Some
are deployed in deeper water to accommodate anglers the deepest artificial reef
in Palm Beach County is
a 190-foot hopper barge
located north of the Palm
Beach Inlet in 275 feet of
water. Snorkeling reefs
have been constructed in
water as shallow as 6 feet.
Photo Credit: Linton Creel
General meetings are held on the second Tuesday of
each month at 7:00 pm at the Vista Center Complex,
2300 North Jog Road, West Palm Beach.
For more information about the RRT, go to:
www.pbcgov.org/erm/coastal/reef/research-team
Details: These unique reefs, currently under
construction, are located just outside each inlet.
They will provide habitat for juvenile fish between
the inshore area and the
ocean. Limestone
boulders and old
concrete material are
configured in multiple
stacks at each
location to maximize
the “edge” effect
which provides many
nooks and crannies for
marine life to live, feed,
and breed.
Photo Credit: Linton Creel
CONCRETE
Palm Beach County
Board of County Commissioners
Department of Environmental
Resources Management
2300 North Jog Road, 4th Floor
West Palm Beach, FL 33411-2743
(561) 233-2400
www.pbcgov.org/erm
In accordance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, this brochure may be requested in an alternate format.
Oct. 2010
Palm Beach County
Board of County Commissioners
Department of Environmental
Resources Management
Green moray eel at Cross Current Reef
Photo Credit: Jennifer Podis
In addition to their environmental and recreational value,
artificial reefs contribute to Palm Beach County’s economy.
A 2001 study revealed that artificial reef-related expenditures
during a 12-month period from June 2000 to May 2001
were $151 million providing an estimated 1800 jobs.
The County’s artificial
program is managed by
the Palm Beach County
Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM).
Photo Credit: Linton Creel
The primary source of concrete used to build artificial
reefs comes from bridge demolition projects. Other
sources include old concrete slabs, culverts, and
jersey barriers and pre-fabricated reef modules.
Old concrete is unique in that marine organisms,
particularly hard corals, quickly settle on it to form
a diverse habitat in a shorter period of time. As of
2010, over 82,000 tons (about 4,500 truck loads!)
of concrete have been deployed to build 27 different
reefs.
Photo Credit: Linton Creel