Destin-Fort Walton Beach Artificial Reefs

Okaloosa County’s artificial reef program is one of the most active programs in the nation and aims to create locations for fishing, diving and snorkeling activities that are easily accessible to locals and visitors. In addition to fishing and diving sites, artificial reefs provide critical habitat for recreationally and commercially important species of fish.

An artificial reef is a man-made structure that functions as habitat on the seafloor. Some are designed to mimic natural reef structures while others may be designed to create high (tall) relief above the seafloor. Artificial reefs are put in areas where there is a lack of structure to create and enhance the existing habitat for marine life (i.e. sandy areas).

Artificial reefs off Destin-Fort Walton Beach range from pre-fabricated concrete structures like our snorkel reefs, secondary-use concrete such as old bridge material, surplus military equipment, or even decommissioned vessels that are intentionally sunk to sit on the ocean floor.

Deploying an artificial reef is not a quick process! A lot of work goes into acquiring grant funds, contracting, permitting and preparing artificial reefs for deployment. Vessel deployments, for example, require additional cleaning and preparation to ensure all fuels, oils, plastics, and other hazardous materials are removed to eliminate potential negative impacts to the environment we hope to enhance. Following preparation, each reef is inspected and tested prior to approving for deployment.

Since the first public artificial reef site was created in 1976, 564 reef sites have been deployed in the waters off Destin-Fort Walton Beach with more than 300 being deployed since 2019. Some of the fun marine life you can see on our reefs are sea turtles, snapper, amberjack, starfish, and grouper! To learn more about the wildlife that can be seen in Destin-Fort Walton Beach, check out this page!

If you aren’t a diver or want to take a look at what some of our artificial reefs look like prior to diving in, check out the interactive 3D models of more than a dozen reef sites offshore Destin-Fort Walton Beach. These 3D models as well as an interactive map and coordinate files are available for download below.