15 New Reef Sites Coming to South Walton

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.

Photo from Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association

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.