Artificial Reef Deployments

The Miami-Dade County Artificial Reef Program was established in 1981. Documented artificial reef construction in Miami's coastal waters, however, predates the program by more than five decades.

The County has supervised the deployment of an extensive amount of material among 11 inshore and 17 offshore artificial reef sites, including nearly 50 large vessels, two retired oil production platforms, thousands of tons of cast concrete materials and natural limestone, and U.S. Army surplus military tanks.

See the list of all artificial reef deployments (updated in 2023)

March 27, 2023
The 43rd Eternal Reefs array consisting of 4 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: March 27, 2023
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.746 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.889 W
Feb. 28, 2023
The 42nd Eternal Reefs array consisting of 2 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site and placed beside the 41st Eternal Reefs array. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: Feb. 28, 2023
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.744 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.886 W
Jan. 30, 2023
The 41st Eternal Reefs array consisting of 6 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: Jan. 30, 2023
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.744 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.886 W
Oct. 25, 2023
The 40th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 14 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: Oct. 25, 2023
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.775 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.890 W
Dec. 19, 2022
Approximately 345 tons of demolished concrete dock material were repurposed to create an artificial reef within the Julia Tuttle Artificial Reef Site.
- Deployed: Dec. 19, 2022
- Depth: 27'
- Relief: 8'
- Latitude: 25° 48.846 N
- Longitude: 80° 10.231 W
June 22, 2022
The 39th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 11 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: June 22, 2022
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.785 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.888 W
April 11, 2022
The 38th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 7 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: April 11, 2022
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.770 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.891 W
Jan. 25, 2022
The 37th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 8 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: Jan. 25, 2022
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.744 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.886 W
Oct. 4, 2021
The 36th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 6 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: Oct. 4, 2021
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.733 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.888 W
Sept. 20, 2021
The 35th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 13 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: Sept. 20, 2021
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.721 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.884 W
Aug. 31, 2021
13 DERM Modules were deployed at the Anchorage Artificial Reef Site.
- Deployed: Aug. 31, 2021
- Depth: 50'
- Relief: 8'
- Latitude: 25° 48.717 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.440 W
July 27, 2021
The last of 87 DERM Modules were deployed at the Port of Miami A Artificial Reef Site.
- Deployed: July 27, 2021
- Depth: 27'
- Relief: 6'
- Latitude: 25° 46.288 N
- Longitude: 80° 06.307 W
June 14, 2021
The 34th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 10 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: June 14, 2021
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.729 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.897 W
March 2021
On March 29th, the 33rd Eternal Reefs array consisting of 18 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: March 29, 2021
- Depth: 45'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.730 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.860 W
June 14, 2021
On August 30th, approximately 700 tons of concrete material and boulders were placed in 4 piles at the Bug Light Shoal Artificial Reef Site. The material is adjacent to the Phase 1 concrete and boulders which were previously placed at the site in 2019. Learn more about the history of this site.
- Deployed: August 30, 2020
- Depth: 26'
- Relief: 9'
- Latitude: 25° 40.763 N
- Longitude: 80° 06.753 W
February 2020
On February 28th, approximately 2,316 tons of demolished concrete slabs and pilings were repurposed to create an artificial reef within the Julia Tuttle Artificial Reefs Site.
- Deployed: February 28, 2020
- Depth: 23'
- Relief: 9'
- Latitude: 25° 48.806 N
- Longitude: 80° 10.251 W
February 2020
On February 20th, the 32nd Eternal Reefs array consisting of nine memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: February 20, 2020
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.737 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.897 W
February 2020
On February 19th, 73 concrete bridge pilings were repurposed to create an artificial reef within the Julia Tuttle Artificial Reefs Site.
- Deployed: February 19, 2020
- Depth: 27'
- Relief: 8'
- Latitude: 25° 48.860 N
- Longitude: 80° 10.228 W
December 2019

On December 5th, approximately 45 tons of demolished concrete slabs and pilings were deployed in the Julia Tuttle Artificial Reefs Site. The concrete material was intermixed with the limerock boulders which had previously been deployed on top of the Larson Barge.
- Deployed: December 5, 2019
- Depth: 32'
- Relief: 17'
- Latitude: 25° 48.899 N
- Longitude: 80° 10.269 W
October 2019
On October 10th, the 31st Eternal Reefs array consisting of five memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: October 10, 2019
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.726 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.896 W
June 2019
On June 10th, the 30th Eternal Reefs array consisting of five memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: June 10, 2019
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.729 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.872 W
June 2019
On June 2nd, repurposed concrete material and boulders were placed at the newly permitted Bug Light Shoal Artificial Reef Site. The new site is intended to provide fish habitat to replace the popular Bug Light Shoal marker which was removed by the US Coast Guard in 2014. The local fishing community was instrumental in working with Miami-Dade County to select an appropriate site and fund the deployment of material. For a little more information, review this FWC bulletin.
- Deployed: June 2, 2019
- Depth: 24'
- Relief: 7'
- Latitude: 25° 40.774 N
- Longitude: 80° 06.767 W
April 2019
On April 18th, approximately 727 tons of limerock boulders were deployed in top of the previously deployed Larson Barge to create an artificial reef within the Julia Tuttle Artificial Reefs Site.
- Deployed: April 18, 2019
- Depth: 32'
- Relief: 17'
- Latitude: 25° 48.899 N
- Longitude: 80° 10.269 W
February 2019
On February 18th, the 29th Eternal Reefs array consisting of five memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: February 18, 2019
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.725 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.873 W
October 2018
On October 15th, the 28th Eternal Reefs array consisting of five memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: October 15, 2018
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.732 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.882 W
June 2018
On June 25, the 27th Eternal Reefs array consisting of seven memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: June 25, 2018
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.785 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.895 W
June 2018
On June 6 and 7, 310 tons of limerock boulders were added to the Belzona Wreck Trek within the Key Biscayne SMZ Artificial Reef Site with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Grant #17017. These boulders, known as Connection Pile D, are located between the Belzona III tug and the Parker/Schuger barges.
- Deployed: June 7, 2018
- Depth: 72'
- Relief: 7'
- Latitude: 25° 41.793 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.217 W
February 2018
On February 26, the 26th Eternal Reefs array consisting of two memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: February 26, 2018
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.735 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.864 W
February 2018
On February 13, approximately 30 tons of demolished concrete slabs and pilings were repurposed to create an artificial reef within the Julia Tuttle Artificial Reefs site.
- Deployed: February 13, 2018
- Depth: 24'
- Relief: 6'
- Latitude: 25° 48.801 N
- Longitude: 80° 10.069 W
October 2017
On October 24, the 25th Eternal Reefs array consisting of three memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: October 24, 2017
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.773 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.882 W
July 2017
On July 17, 305 tons of limerock boulders were added to the Belzona Wreck Trek within the Key Biscayne SMZ Artificial Reef Site with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Grant #15096. These boulders, Connection Pile C, are located between the Belzona II and Belzona I tugs.
- Deployed: July 27, 2017
- Depth: 59'
- Relief: 8'
- Latitude: 25° 41.778 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.258 W
June 2017
On June 26, the 24th Eternal Reefs array consisting of 16 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: June 26, 2017
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.738 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.865 W
January 2017
On January 30, the 23rd Eternal Reefs array consisting of 8 memorial reef balls was deployed at the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site. The reef balls are adjacent to other reef ball deployments and three boulder patch reefs.
- Deployed: January 30, 2017
- Depth: 43'
- Relief: 4'
- Latitude: 25° 57.738 N
- Longitude: 80° 05.883 W