The retired Boeing 727 jetliner was billed as the jewel of Miami-Dade's thriving artificial reef program. But almost as soon as the 'Spirit of Miami' was scuttled 17 years ago, vandals unbolted steel cables attaching it to the bottom of Biscayne Bay and made off with souvenirs.

• Miami Dade Artificial Reef Program

Miami Dade County's Artificial Reef Program is funded through a variety of ways. The most important contributions to the Artificial Reef Program are those from. Thanks to an aggressive artificial reef program, Miami Beach has over 75 divable wrecks just. The Dade County Artificial Reef Program sunk a 110-foot Barge in the.

Tropical Storm Gordon snapped it into pieces in 1995. Rolling free on the sandy bottom, the pieces scattered, and the reef that had been sunk with national fanfare disappeared, pretty much forgotten — until now. As workers from the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) checked possible locations for new artificial reefs earlier this spring with laser-assisted depth-sound equipment, they found 'a couple of blips we had not seen before,' said Steve Blair, chief of the agency's restoration and enhancement section. In a follow-up dive, they discovered three pieces of the Spirit of Miami: a part of the tail section lying on its side, a portion of the fuselage and a piece of the wing.

The remains lie in the sand 110 feet deep, about 500 feet northeast of the original deployment site three miles off Key Biscayne. Several other artificial reefs, including the Ophelia Brian sunk last December, lie nearby. 'That wreck put diving in Miami on the map,' said Stephen O'Neal, owner of the Miami salvage company that supplied the plane. 'It's exciting talking about it after all these years.' The pieces of the wreck are now covered with soft corals and dotted with spiny oysters that snap their shells closed when divers approach, as a group discovered on a recent dive with Capt.

Miami-Dade County's Artificial Reef Program protects our natural reefs from the stress of excessive human interaction while encouraging recreational fishing and sport.

Mike Beach of the Big Com-Ocean dive boat based at Miami Beach Marina. Among them was Henry Gomez, of Hialah, who dived the wreck as many as 40 times in those first few years after it was sent to the bottom. 'There's no comparison — a full plane as opposed to pieces. But it brings back memories for sure,' Gomez said after the recent dive.

The September 1993 morning it was sunk was hailed as a banner moment for Miami-Dade County's scuba diving industry. Dozens of spectator boats and national news media gathered to watch the aircraft sink. It would be a tourist attraction, reef foundation, underwater homage to local aviation history and platform for more than 100 high school science experiments. In its brief heyday, the intact Spirit of Miami was explored by astronaut Buzz Aldrin and featured on NBC's 'Today' show and in National Geographic magazine. Divers from around the U.S. And the world came to Miami to check it out. 'Miami really didn't have a dive boat industry then,' said Ben Mostkoff, who headed DERM's artificial reef program from 1981-1996 and spearheaded the project.

'It accomplished its goal. It exceeded our expectations.' About 70 percent of the experiments were retrieved before the storm hit in 1995, O'Neal said. He hoped divers might locate a 100-year time capsule that had been tucked up in the nose gear well on behalf of the Greater Miami Aviation Association just before the plane was sunk.

To date, no one found the 5-by-2-foot stainless steel cylinder. Sinking another jetliner as an artificial reef is on the mind of Mostkoff, who now works in private industry — as long as it is rendered vandal-proof. 'It should be done again, but engineered to stay put,' he said. But DERM's Blair is doubtful. He said the state probably would not authorize placement of an artificial reef with limited durability. 'Airplanes fly better underwater than they do in the air,' he said.

Recent Deployments of Artificial Reefs Specific information from the diving community on any Miami-Dade County artificial reefs is always welcomed. Please with any of the following information:. Name of artificial reef, if known.

Confirmed center GPS points. Depth and relief/profile of the reef. Orientation of the vessel. Changes in the artificial reef since your last visit. Digital photos of the artificial reefs September 2016: Phase 1 of the Anchorage Artificial Reef Connectivity Project is complete With funding from a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Grant, four connection artificial reefs were constructed utilizing limerock boulders from August 24th – September 9th.

These four patch artificial reefs are located in the Anchorage Artificial Reef Site and connect three existing artificial reefs—the Army Tanks, No. 7, and Larsen Barge. These new reefs will provide habitat connection for marine organisms, additional fishing spots, and a visual trail for divers to follow to enjoy the reefs. Name Deployed Depth Relief Latitude Longitude Reef A Sept. 9, 2016 50 feet 9 feet 25° 48.695 N 80° 05.448 W Reef B Aug. 26, 2016 50 feet 10 feet 25° 48.691 N 80° 05.426 W Reef C Aug. 24, 2016 50 feet 10 feet 25° 48.673 N 80° 05.423 W Reef D Sept.

7, 2016 50 feet 12 feet 25° 48.675 N 80° 05.438 W August 2016 On August 20, 2016, biologists from Miami-Dade County joined and other volunteer divers to conduct the 6th Annual Fish Survey on the artificial reefs that make up the Belzona Wreck Trek. July 2016 In July 2016, a large mitigation reef was completed at the inshore Brickell Artificial Reef Site. Over 2000 reef balls were deployed in 14’ of water with 3-7’ relief. Name Deployed Depth Relief Latitude Longitude Island Garden Mitigation July 2016 14 feet 7 feet 25° 44.913 N 80° 11.849 W June 2016 On June 13, 2016, the 22nd Eternal Reefs array consisting of 10 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls were deployed in 43’ of water with 4’ of relief. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.

Miami Dade Artificial Reef Program

Name Deployed Depth Relief Latitude Longitude Eternal Reefs #22 July 2016 14 feet 7 feet 25° 44.913 N 80° 11.849 W February 2016 On February 22, 2016, the 21st Eternal Reefs array consisting of 5 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls were deployed in 44’ of water with 3’ of relief. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs. Name Deployed Depth Relief Latitude Longitude Eternal Reefs #21 Feb. 22, 2016 44 feet 3 feet 25° 57.768 N 80° 05.899 W January 2016 On January 26, 2016, the deployment of demolition concrete from the Venetian Causeway was completed. Approximately 7000 tons of concrete was deployed at the inshore Julia Tuttle Artificial Reef to provide new habitat for fish and benthic organisms. The concrete was deployed in 26’ with up to 14’ of relief.

Name Deployed Depth Relief Latitude Longitude Venetian Causeway Concrete Jan. 27, 2016 26 feet 14 feet 25° 48.784 N 80° 10.228 W.