Just off the coast of Riviera Beach forty feet down, divers will find a magical world where fantasy meets real life. There you will find an artificial reef called 1000 Mermaids, where mythical creatures come to life…with marine life, that is.
One thousand mermaids…what a fantastical thought! Have you ever wondered about the song of the siren? What made it so alluring that legend says sailors went mad and shipwrecked? It’s apparent that our fascination with the legend of the mythical mermaid is alive and well. Depicted in fairy tale, film and costume, they are beloved by children and adults alike. And thanks to a project titled 1000 Mermaids, sculpted sirens will be used to lure the divers in - to artificial reefs.
Most Palm Beachers and West Palm Beach residents who live in the vicinity of Southern Boulevard are aware that there is a major construction project underway just west of Mar-a-Lago. After all, it’s kind of difficult not to notice the massive barges, cranes and especially the gigantic temporary vertical-lift bridge that towers over the skyline. Although the replacement of the Southern Boulevard Bridge will take years to complete, demolition is off to a roaring start on the old drawbridge.
Let's gauge your artificial intelligence today. How many artificial reefs are deployed each year in Florida waters?
A) 10-20
B) 70-100
C) 50-60
D) Less than 10
If you chose B, you are correctamundo! Using a combination of state, federal, local and private funding, our state creates up to 100 new artificial reefs in local waters each year. Using limestone, concrete, shipwrecks and other industrial materials, new habitats are thoughtfully designed to nurture local sea life.
Seeing a Rolls Royce in Palm Beach is common.
Seeing a Rolls Royce parked 80 feet below the surface of the ocean? That doesn’t happen in just anyone’s backyard.
Part of a local dive site called The Eidsvag Triangle, a mile east of Palm Beach Inlet, the 1967 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was sunk off in the mid-80s. Its owner (hairdresser to the stars Greg Hauptner) hoped to inspire the creation of more artificial reefs off our shoreline, and succeeded – today, there are well over 100.
The Goliath groupers, apparently, love the old Flagler Memorial Bridge.
While the new four-lane bridge is inching toward completion (not nearly quickly enough, we note in a grumbling sort of tone), work crews render the old concrete span into pieces. Barges haul the slabs out to a 35-foot depth and dump them into the Atlantic, forming an artificial reef. The first section is in place, and the fish are already starting to find it.
If someone hasn’t already named it Bridge Reef, they should.