Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>>: IT IS AUGUST AND WE'RE IN
NORTHEAST, FLORIDA.
RECENTLY A NEW ARTIFICIAL REEF
WAS CREATED OFF THE COAST OF
PONTE VEDRA BEACH.
I'M JOE KISTEL WITH TISIRI.
FIRST OFF, CLEAN WASTE MATERIAL
WAS PROVIDED BY ST. AUGUSTINE
AIRPORT AND WHITE OAK
CONTRACTING.
THE MATERIAL PROVIDED VARIES, IT
INCLUDES ANYTHING FROM CULVERT
PIPES, BOX JUNKS, HEAVY-FOOTER
PIECES, JUST A VARIETY OF
MISCELLANEOUS CHUNKS OF
CONCRETE.
TO PROPERLY TRANSPORT THE
MATERIAL OFF-SHORE, A LARGE
BARGE HAD TO BE BROUGHT IN.
SEVERAL TYPES OF LARGE MACHINERY
WAS BROUGHT IN TO LOAD THE
CONCRETE PIECE BY PIECE ON TO
THE BARGE.
♪ [ MUSIC ] ♪
>>: BEFORE THE MATERIAL COULD
BE TRANSPORTED OFF-SHORE, A REEF
SITE HAD TO BE DETERMINED.
TO SELECT A SITE THAT IS VERY
CLOSE TO TWO OTHER ARTIFICIAL
REEFS ALREADY IN EXISTENCE, A
PERMANENT AREA KNOWN AS FLOYD'S
FOLLOW.
IT IS 12 MILES EAST OF PONTE
VEDRA AND ABOUT A 20 MILE BOAT
RIDE FROM THE JACKSONVILLE INLET
OR ST. AUGUSTINE INLET.
ONCE THE SITE WAS CHOSEN, DIVERS
WENT DOWN TO INVESTIGATE THE SEA
FLOOR TO MAKE SURE IT WAS
APPROPRIATE FOR ARTIFICIAL REEF
PLACEMENT.
THE SITE SELECTED PROVED
APPROPRIATE AND A NEW REEF IS
READY TO BE MADE.
ONCE THE BARGE WAS LOADED AND
SITE CONFIRMED, IT IS TIME TO
TRANSPORT THE MATERIAL
OFF-SHORE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, WE WILL BE HEADING
YOUR WAY WITHIN ...
♪ [ MUSIC ] ♪
>>: PRIOR TO THE BARGE REACHING
THE OFF-SHORE DESTINATION, THE
TISIRI WORK BOAT FOR THE DAY'S
EVENT, THE DIAMOND DIVER, MADE
IT TO THE SITE AND DROPPED A
MARKER BUOY ON THE GPS
COORDINATES OF WHERE THE REEF
WAS TO BE PLACED.
SHORTLY AFTER, THE BARGE ARRIVED
AND THE CONCRETE ANCHORS WERE
DROPPED AND OUR BARGE WAS IN
POSITION.
THE CONTRACTING CREW STARTED
PLACING CONCRETE MATERIAL INTO
THE OCEAN.
AFTER NEARLY THREE HOURS OF
SHOVELLING CONCRETE, THE BARGE
WAS EMPTY AND OUR REEF HAD BEEN
PLACED.
SOME TIME WAS ALLOWED TO PASS,
AND THEN TISIRI DIVERS AND
ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE DIVERS
ENTERED THE WATER TO OBSERVE THE
RIEF FOR THE FIRST TIME.
WHAT WE FOUND WHEN WE REACHED
THE SEA FLOOR WAS A SPECTACULAR
ARRANGEMENT OF CONCRETE
STRUCTURE.
>> WE HIT A HIGHER STRUCTURE
ABOUT 10 FEET HIGH.
THAT USUALLY ATTRACTS YOUR FISH,
YOUR WAHOO, YOUR KING FISH, ET
CETERA.
THE SMALLER PIECES THAT WERE
ACTUALLY ON THE BOTTOM, THE
CULVERTS, WOULD MAKE THE NOOKS
AND CRANNIES FOR THE GROUPER AND
THE SNAPPER AND THE SEA BASS.
THEY WERE LAID OUT IN SUCH A WAY
THAT THESE FISH COULD USE THEM
FOR PROTECTION IF THEIR PREDATOR
FISH WERE TRYING TO GET THEM.
>> THE DIVE TEAMS SWAM COMPASS
HEADINGS SKETCHING MATERIAL IN
REFERENCE TO POSITION AS THEY
WENT.
THIS INFORMATION WILL BE USED TO
DRAW A ROUGH SKETCH MAP OF THE
MATERIAL LAYOUT AT THE NEW REEF
SITE.
MOTHER NATURE WILL NURTURE THE
MATERIAL PLACED, AND IN A LITTLE
BIT OF TIME THE REEF WILL BE
HOME TO A GREAT DIVERSITY OF
MARINE LIFE AND BECOME AN
OFF-SHORE DESTINATION FOR US TO
ENJOY.
>> IT IS EXCITING TO SEE WE ARE
PUTTING SOMETHING BACK THAT WILL
BENEFIT NOT ONLY US TODAY IN OUR
COMMUNITY, BUT PEOPLE IN THE
FUTURE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
>> IT IS PRETTY AMAZING BECAUSE
BASICALLY WE TOOK WASTE CONCRETE
AND WE HAVE CREATED THIS
OFF-SHORE HOT SPOT.