FORCE BLUE Partners with South Carolina Aquarium to Build Artificial Reefs

Working under a grant provided by Boeing, FORCE BLUE veterans recently joined scientists from the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston to construct a half-dozen artificial “reef cones” for future deployment off the South Carolina coast.

The reef cones, which are created by assembling a series of prefabricated molds into which cement is quickly poured, will eventually be placed inside the state’s marine protected areas (MPAs) to create new habitat, thereby removing some of the stressors currently plaguing the state’s offshore commercial and recreational fishing sites.

While inclement weather and a brutal sea state kept our veterans onshore for much of their visit, it didn’t stop them from getting wet. One of the highlights of the trip was an impromptu dive inside the South Carolina Aquarium 385,000-gallon Great Ocean tank. There, FORCE BLUE divers, surrounded by sand tiger sharks, nurse sharks, southern stingrays, barracudas, and schools of black sea bass and crevalle jacks, had the opportunity to speak (via full-face mask communications) with school groups and aquarium visitors about the importance of marine conservation.

Our visit to Charleston concluded on King Street, where our partners at Vineyard Vines opened their store to FORCE BLUE for a two-hour meet-and-greet with local shoppers.