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GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands; Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 – A new reef project is completed for Governor's beach in conjunction with the Department of the Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) and Carnival Corporation.
Reef Balls are in place in more than 60 countries worldwide with projects including coral propagation, estuary restoration, mangrove plantings, oyster reef restoration, erosion control and coral rehabilitation. On Grand Turk, the reef balls have been use to relocate corals under threat and enhance the snorkel areas for local residents and tourists alike.
The project here is located at Governor's Beach in front of Waterloo, adjacent to the Biorock artificial reef. It has been designed for the shallow areas where snorkellers frequent with corals relocated from the South End of the island. When harvesting the corals we noticed very little hurricane damage, but any broken pieces have also been relocated to these new reefs.
Reef Balls are made by pouring concrete into a fiberglass mould containing a polyform bladder similar to a beach ball; other various sized smaller balloons are also positioned to make exterior holes. . There are many different sizes and types of reef ball available, reflecting the variation in natural reefs. Here we have Layer Cake and Original designs ranging in size.
The concrete used is engineered to last over 500 years and the Reef Balls have been tested in wave tanks to ensure they cannot be overturned in waves. They have also been optimized to provide protection for fish and the surface is textured to encourage attachment of small marine organisms and larval corals.
Holes in the reef ball are designed to create whirlpools, which help bring nutrients to animals and plants living in and around the Reef Balls. The void spaces in the center can also be customized by filling partially with rocks or conch shells to increase juvenile fish populations. The layer cake designs provide crevices and overhangs for shelter seeking and nocturnal organisms such as lobster.
The project has come to fruition over the last month with construction, deployment and coral transplantation being finalized. Members of the Reef Ball foundation traveled to Grand Turk and were joined by a small team of volunteers. Grand Turk Diving, Bluewater Divers and Oasis Divers were as ever on hand to help along with other local businesses CBMS, Osprey Beach Hotel, Otis and DECR staff.
As soon as the reef balls hit the seabed they were getting new residents - a spotted eel, juvenile spotted drum and sergeant majors, amongst others, were already moving in and we are sure many more will follow. This new snorkel attraction can be easily reached from shore at Governor's Beach in front of the Biorock artificial reef in place there (demarcated by red buoys). There is a smaller cluster directly in front of the snorkel shack at the Grand Turk Cruise Center which has also been invaded with fish seeking to take up residence.
It is hoped that these reef balls will enhance the area for all snorkellers as well as providing more space for marine organisms and coral larvae to settle on. Persons are invited to visit this new free attraction, but reminded not to touch or stand or any reefs – natural or artificial and do not remove anything from its natural habitat.
And, as always: 'Take only pictures, leave only bubbles.'
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