By Bill Kearney | bkearney@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel
The city of Hollywood and the nonprofit Ocean Rescue Alliance International have teamed up to deploy a snorkel-friendly artificial reef trail 250 to 350 feet off Hollywood Beach.
Located in relatively shallow waters from 8 to 15 feet deep, the four reef sites sit off North Beach Park, Harry Berry Park, and Keating Park. Each site has about 12 structures, and is marked by two orange buoys.
The project, named Guardians of the Reef, includes 50 modules, 38 of which emulate coral reef habitat and 12 of which are sculptures, including mermaids, oceanic deities such as Poseidon and Amphitrite, and marine animals such as a turtle, octopus and manta ray.
Each piece, including the sculptures, is designed to restore coral, but also attract marine life, including crabs, lobsters and an array of reef fish.
"This isn't just a reef, it's a movement," said Shelby Thomas, CEO and founder of Ocean Rescue Alliance International. "We're building cities in the sea for marine life while creating a unique underwater museum that heals marine ecosystems. Inviting the opportunity for the public to become ocean stewards."
The new reef snorkel trail will be available for public access in June and will eventually have signs at each structure to help educate visitors about their ecological benefits. There are also plans to have safety information at each park, since the sites lie beyond the swim zone.
Hollywood resident Cat Uden, who regularly paddle boards off Hollywood beaches, was there for the deployment and was one of the first people to actually dive down and see the installations underwater.
"I did notice some fish that were already trying to make them home," she said. "There was a triggerfish nipping at snorkelers who got too close."
She says she hopes the modules will attract sea life the same way other snorkel trails have, such as the one at Peanut Island north of Palm Beach. "Peanut Island is like swimming in an aquarium. Hopefully that's what will happen in Hollywood as well."
Uden recommends that if you do snorkel at the Hollywood sites, use a dive flag to alert boaters in the area that there are snorkelers around. She said a west wind makes conditions more gentle, and that if you're on a paddle board you need to have a personal floatation device and a whistle.
Each of the modules are dotted with more than 100 Coral Loks, a system that allows divers to plant lab-grown coral units upon them by simply screwing the coral into place.
Florida's coral reef tract, which stretches from the Dry Tortugas up to Palm Beach County, is the third-largest coral reef system in the world. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the reef's healthy coral cover has fallen 90% since the late 1970s. Stressors include hot water temperatures which can trigger coral bleaching. Runoff from land also hurts coral reefs, both through sediment and through nutrient pollution.
Florida has a very active artificial reef program, with more than 4,000 reefs deployed since the 1940s. Many of the reefs are offshore in somewhat deeper water, and can attract marine life ranging from lobsters to great white sharks. Hollywood and Ocean Rescue Alliance International have previously teamed up to create reefs in 40 feet of water, making the area attractive to both fish and divers.
"I hope that it sparks interest in the ocean and that people get out there and see different sea life and learn to respect what we have and appreciate it," said Uden.