By: Mitch Jaugstetter

The South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA) will deploy a total of 15 new reef sites this summer. Ships in the Gulf of Mexico are already deploying new reefs between three-quarters of a mile and eight miles from the shore:

SWARA will sink nine near-shore reefs for fishing and diving, and three offshore fish havens. Three reefs for snorkeling will be finished late summer. Each reef site will sit on a one-acre patch with approximately 30 structures each, including snapper pyramids and hybrid grouper boxes.

The South Walton Artificial Reef Association developed the project and has plans for completing a total of 19 artificial reefs. South Walton’s first artificial reef was placed off the shore of Grayton Beach State Park in 2015:

For more updates, visit the South Walton Artificial Reef Association Facebook Page or website. Check out this video of this summer’s deployments in action:

https://www.facebook.com/Scenic30A/videos/10154677141222393/

Mitch Jaugstetter is a Summer Intern at The 30A Company.