storm, every single structure was accounted for
with no appreciable damage or displacement.
A huge victory for the MBARA, Mexico Beach,
and all of Florida’s Forgotten Coast. Michael’s
impact on the Bell Shoals site, however, is a
drastically different story.
The artificial reefs at Bell Shoals
rest in just 15-25 feet of water.
Five types of reef materials are
used in this area - Secondary-Use
Concrete, Reef Balls, Ecosystems
on Pilings, Grouper Boxes with
Ecosystems and Florida Limstone
Pyramids. Before the hurricane,
Bell Shoals held 61 distinct patch
reefs and 524 individual reef
modules. Post-storm surveys
identified just 500 reef modules,
and the once tightly-clustered
patches scattered widely.
Careful study of the Bell Shoals
survey reveals interesting details,
however. The storm uncovered
more Reef Balls and Secondary-
Use Concrete than it buried.
Ecosystems on Pilings were
unaffected. In fact, only Grouper
Boxes with Ecosystems and
Florida Limestone Pyramids
were negatively impacted.
Grouper Boxes, which simulate
the cave-like hiding places
favored by their namesake fish,
maintained position but settled,
by varying degrees, into the sea
floor. Displacement and toppling
of Florida Limestone Pyramids
was widespread and dramatic,
as the before-and-after illustration
of patch reef MB-197 shows (left).
An estimated 65% of all Florida
Limestone Pyramids in Bell
Shoals were displaced, or no
longer associated with their
original patch reefs. Since many
SUMMER 2019 25
REEF
RELOCATION
Patch reefs in the Crooked Island and Sherman
sites are made up of 3 different types of artificial
reef modules – Florida Limestone Pyramids,
Grouper Boxes with Ecosystems, and gigantic
Super Reefs. Sixty-five reef structures in total,
deployed in waters 60-75 feet deep. After the
B efore making landfall in Mexico Beach as
a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Michael’s
destructive power was felt offshore. The tangible
results of over two decades of commitment,
hard work, and community spirit were at risk
beneath the rising waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Hundreds of MBARA (Mexico
Beach Artificial Reef Association)
sites, and thousands of individual
modules, awaited Michael’s wrath.
Before-and-After illustrations of MBARA Artificial Reef Site MB-197. The site consists of 15 Florida
Limestone Pyramids (triangle) and 5 Ecosystems on Pilings (disc) in 21 feet of water. Before Hurricane
Michael made landfall on October 10, 2018, the reef modules were positioned in a tight cluster (left).
After the storm, detailed sonar mapping showed that the Ecosystems on Pilings remained stationary,
but the Florida Limestone Pyramids were significantly (as much as 0.5 miles) displaced (right).
It wasn’t the first time the work
of the MBARA had been tested.
Prior storms had impacted reefs.
Structures had been toppled or
moved. Reef balls were buried
as the sea floor was reshaped by
currents and wave action. The
damage was minimal, however,
with little long term effect.
Hurricane Michael was a different
animal. Storm surge as high as 22
feet. Sustained winds of 160 mph.
A storm of historic proportions,
and something the Gulf Coast
had never experienced before. It
was a monster, and every single
MBARA reef installation was in
its path. Though it wasn’t high on
the post-storm priority list, folks
at the MBARA couldn’t help but
wonder...are the reefs still there?
No organization could have been
better prepared to answer that
question. Detailed records and
precise placement of structures
made accurate before-and-after
assessments possible. Exhaustive
sonar mapping completed during
recent large scale deployments in
the Bell Shoals, Crooked Island
and Sherman permitted areas
expedited the assessment process
for those sites. New, post-storm
surveys were conducted, and
the initial results came in.
BY DANIEL ANDERSON