Our Approach
Artificial Reefs (Current Limitations)
An artificial reef is a human-created underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, to control erosion, block ship passage, or block the use of trawling nets. Most artificial reefs include ships, construction pilings, culverts, or limestone boulders. These reefs often lack complex microtopography and the correct materials to recruit key natural reef-building species such as coral, oysters, mollusks, and more that can strengthen artificial reef structures and even make them “self-healing”. Most common artificial reefs also lack complex habitat space that is provided by natural reefs which give homes to small fish species and shelter to early life stages of other marine organisms. Without small habitat space, small fish have nowhere to take refuge from predators. Often, artificial reefs can increase the catchability of large fish species, enabling an increased removal of large reproductive fish from populations. These artificial reefs can be the “trash of land” such as tire and ship reefs that consist of non-eco-friendly material and may corrode and pollute over time. Although ships may be a fun dive site, they do little to help support biodiverse fish communities and are not self-healing or promote reef structure strengthening. The Ocean Rescue Alliance takes a completely new approach to addressing this issue and creating reefs that support marine ecosystems.
Eliat, Israel (Photo credit: David Weinstein)
How We Are Different
The Ocean Rescue Alliance is a one-of-a-kind organization run by leading reef scientists and artists that design artificial reefs to more closely mimic natural reef structures from an ecological and geological science-based perspective with interstitial spaces, critical micro and macro habitat. This helps promote fish biodiversity, creating complex habitat space that gives different fish species and life stages homes, as well as providing habitat for benthic species including outplanted and naturally recruited coral. We have researched over 35 unique reef module designs assessing fish and marine recruitment to identify the best performing reef structures which promote high fish biodiversity and benthic recruitment. We also incorporate applied restoration techniques that enable integrate and restore species such as corals, oysters, or mangroves. We can imbed our reefs with receivers to easily outplant corals or other restoration targets. In addition to applied restoration strategies to meet the area of need, we have specific artificial reef units that aid in protecting against coastal erosion. Our wave reduction modules help reduce wave attenuation and buffer storm surge. In conjunction with the University of Miami and other partners, ORAI plans to pilot ocean applications of coastal infrastructure to aid in coastal resiliency.
Build With Us to Protect and Enhance Your Greatest Assets
Communities, resorts, and other marine-bordering areas spend millions beautifying their lawns and on-land infrastructure but often forget about their most valuable resource under the waves (usually one of the biggest tourism draws for an area). With our reefs, we provide our clients the chance to strategically insure their future with a high return of investment by giving better protection (buffering waves and storms that scientists have forecast will only get worse with climate change) to their costly near-shore infrastructure. More, our structures pay for themselves by also restoring or enhancing a property or community’s marine ecosystem , providing an ecotourism destination, adding an artistic draw (with brand logos and other creative options available), and providing guest opportunities (outplanting coral, digital tracking, etc.), local community jobs and training, and educational initiatives to draw in the public and keep people coming back for more (see below). We help build structures while also providing full service options to plan, design, install, obtain permits, conduct research, monitor sites, establish education initiatives, target applied restoration, and more. Join the Alliance today and our fight to Save Our Oceans One Reef At A Time!
Our Reef Mix
Our artificial reef builder Chris O’Hare with Reef Cells, who has been building reefs for 30 years, is a material science expert and utilizes a patented concrete mix that is eco-friendly. Our reef mix is a pH-neutral cement that incorporates natural minerals such as calcium carbonate and basalt fibers which aid in natural recruitment of marine life to our structures. It is highly modifiable depending on various project needs. We are undergoing further material studies to increase coral recruitment to our reef substrate through settlement trials with the Florida Aquarium and Secore International. Our reefs are stability-test analyzed and are built to weather 50-year storm events. The reef mix integrates flexible components that enable less material to be used while achieving high stability, strength, and flexion. This mix enables us to integrate unique artistic reef designs that are durable.
Putting the Art in “Art”ificial
Art has an amazing ability to inspire and connect people. Therefore, beyond the latest in scientific-based materials and design concepts, we utilize artistic reef sculptures to bring awareness to marine conservation while providing a unique diving location. We have the ability to craft an art direction that connects local history and culture along with tayloring art for an individual or company.
