On August 9, 2017, the largest artificial reef deployment of its kind by a private foundation on Florida’s east coast occurred extending an underwater nursery for sea life and a destination for divers.
The Andrew “Red” Harris Foundation deployment of 134 four-ton artificial reef modules and 1,000 tons of boulders, partly funded by dollars raised by No Shoes Reefs, a joint venture by ENGEL Coolers and Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Nation that donates a portion of the sales of No Shoes Nation-branded products to building artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and surrounding rivers and waterways, extended the Andrew Harris No Shows Reef to an 1,800-long reef.
The Andrew ‘Red’ Harris Reef (Lat. 26.9658, Long. -80.0592, depth 40 ft.) began in August 2015 with the deployment of 40 concrete reef modules designed to look like Bahamian coral heads in memory of Andrew Harris.
Andrew, 26, an avid angler and diver was struck and killed by a boat June 8, 2014, while snorkeling near DuBois Park in Jupiter. Andrew’s family and friends formed the Andrew “Red” Harris Foundation to honor his memory and assure he is not forgotten. They believe the best way to do so is by helping to insure the long-term health and vibrancy of our local ocean by building artificial reefs in the waters where he loved to dive and fish off northern Palm Beach County. More information about the foundation can be found at www.andrewredharrisfoundation.org.
In August 2016, a 100-module deployment comprised of 50 pyramids, 35 blown-cement “coral head” structures and 15 concrete block structures were deployed by the the Andrew ‘Red’ Harris Reef Foundation to create the Andrew Harris No Shoes Reef (Lat. 26.9617, Long. -80.0536, depth 55 ft.).
This most recent deployment extends the Andrew Harris No Shoes Reef to a total of 300 boulders stacked 16-feet high in a depth of 59 feet at the bottom and 43 feet at the top. Flat boulders, which came from a mine in Port Mayaca, were placed to create open caverns for fish to hide in.
The $500,000 deployment took place 1.5 miles offshore of the Jupiter Inlet. Boulders were dropped on August 2nd and August 5th and the reef module deployment began on August 9th. While the sheer size of this deployment is impressive, what makes these modules unique is the design as they mimic natural reefs. Additionally, these reef modules cause scouring along the ocean floor, which exposes bedrock and aids in the recruitment of algae, soft corals and sponges, an important factor to help battle harmful biological disturbances (such as algae blooms, coral beaching, and disease outbreaks) that impact the northern third of the Florida Reef Tract from the St. Lucie Inlet to the Florida Keys.
For more information about the Andrew ‘Red’ Harris Foundation, visit www.andrewredharrisfoundation.org. For more information on the No Shoes Reefs, visit www.noshoesreefs.org. For more information on artificial reefs in Palm Beach county, visit http://discover.pbcgov.org/erm/Pages/Artificial-Reef-Map.aspx.
