\n
Divers and snorkelers will soon have another sanctuary where they can spot South Florida sea creatures \u2013 an artificial reef stretched across 2 acres near Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach.<\/p>\n
The reef, mostly made of limestone boulders, will be in 6 to 12 feet of water in the no-boat area just south of the park\u2019s beach under the Blue Heron Bridge.<\/p>\n
Sandwiched between the beach\u2019s swimming and boating areas, it will provide a refuge not only for divers and snorkelers but also for marine life, Palm Beach County project coordinator Harvey Rudolph said. Seahorses, octopuses, manatees, turtles, a variety of fish and other sea critters have been spotted in the Lake Worth Lagoon water.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see stuff here that you normally can\u2019t see except offshore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Construction started Wednesday, and fish are flocking to the few piles of limestone placed. Once algae encrusts the rocks in about a month, more creatures will inhabit the reef\u2019s ledges, nooks and crannies, he said.<\/p>\n
When finished, in about two weeks, the artificial reef will include 16 separate piles of limestone, about 630 tons in all; reef-like concrete modules; and smaller rocks placed between the piles to create a snorkeling \u201ctrail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to put in a variety of different materials at different depths to create a good habitat,\u201d said Daniel Bates, deputy director of the county\u2019s Department of Environmental Resources Management. \u201cWe use limestone because it\u2019s soft enough that creatures can burrow and live there. It mimics natural reefs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Environmental Resources Management and Parks and Recreation departments are using $87,000 from vessel registration fees to build the artificial reef and underwater trail. There also will be a kiosk west of the park\u2019s lifeguard tower that will show a layout of the trail, offer safety tips and explain some creatures snorkelers are likely to encounter.<\/p>\n
These manmade reefs are important harbors for marine life, Bates said. There are more than 100 artificial reefs sprawled across the county, most of which were built with money from vessel registration fees.<\/p>\n
Despite past bacterial contamination problems at Phil Foster Park, Parks and Recreation Director Eric Call said he\u2019s not concerned about putting the reef there.<\/p>\n
Vessels that were likely causing the contamination were relocated and the water \u201chasn\u2019t had a poor reading in a while,\u201d he said. The last poor rating the water received from the health department was in January.<\/p>\n
Call said the abundance of sea life and the park\u2019s easy access and free parking make it a \u201chidden jewel\u201d and a dive hotspot.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople come from all over the world to dive at that particular spot,\u201d Bates said.<\/p>\n
Some divers are already looking forward to the new reef.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything they can do to preserve and conserve the sea life is great,\u201d said Nelson Chirillo, of West Palm Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they\u2019ll be more (sea life) to look at,\u201d added his friend Evan Alva, also of West Palm Beach.<\/p>\n
Chirillo, 30, and Alva, 27, have been diving about three times a week at the park for the past two years. They said they\u2019ve seen everything from octopuses to sharptail eels to hawkfish.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t get more beautiful than here,\u201d Chirillo said.<\/p>\n
Source<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Hana Engroff
\nPalm Beach Post Staff Writer
\nRIVIERA BEACH \u2014<\/p>\n
Divers and snorkelers will soon have another sanctuary where they can spot South Florida sea creatures \u2013 an artificial reef stretched across 2 acres near Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach.
\nThe reef, mostly made of limestone boulders, will be in 6 to 12 feet of water in the no-boat area just south of the park\u2019s beach under the Blue Heron Bridge.
\nSandwiched between the beach\u2019s swimming and boating areas, it will provide a refuge not only for divers and snorkelers but also for marine life, Palm Beach County project coordinator Harvey Rudolph said. Seahorses, octopuses, manatees, turtles, a variety of fish and other sea critters have been spotted in the Lake Worth Lagoon water.
\n\u201cYou can see stuff here that you normally can\u2019t see except offshore,\u201d he said.
\nConstruction started Wednesday, and fish are flocking to the few piles of limestone placed. Once algae encrusts …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,43,171,241,90,172,23,82,3,154,37,204,11,32,55],"tags":[193,256,254,255],"class_list":["post-7001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artificial-reefs","category-diver","category-divetalking-2","category-donation","category-earth","category-education","category-events","category-ocean","category-ow","category-preservation","category-promotions","category-recognition","category-reefs","category-reference","category-volunteer","tag-artificial-reef","tag-artificial-reef-phil-foster-park","tag-phil-foster-park","tag-phil-foster-park-artificial-reef"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n