More than 30 artificial reefs dropped into the Gulf of Mexico; local divers watch the show

PANAMA CITY — A little more than 30 artificial reefs were deployed in the Gulf of Mexico early Monday to improve marine life and the local economy.

The Diver’s Den took a boat loaded with divers out into the Gulf to watch the reefs being dropped into the water about 10 miles west of St. Andrews Pass in SAARS E and F.

The reefs are a welcomed addition to the waters for dive shops like Diver’s Den.

More:Bay County continuing artificial reef project

”It’s been a long time coming for the reefs to get dropped off there,” said Brian Robinson, general manager for Diver’s Den. “We need it for our economy, it’s great for the ecosystem, and it’s great for our divers to have these artificial reefs.”

Scott Jackson, UF/IFAS  Extension Bay County and Florida Sea Grant, has been on top of the program since December 2011 after the BP oil spill. He said a study done by Dr. Bill Huth of the University of West Florida showed artificial reefs provide a significant boost to local economies.

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"Northwest Florida and all of Florida benefit from artificial reefs, but specific to our county, we have a little over 1,800 jobs and over half of that goes to the diving charters and the other half goes into the people who just go fishing," Jackson said. "There is about $48 million or $49 million worth of personal income in Bay County because of the artificial reefs."

Bay County, according to Jackson, is considered a hot bed for divers and Robinson said thousands of divers come through the county every year. One of the reasons was because of the in-shore shipwrecks, but they were damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018.

While Robinson said something will have to be done with in-shore wrecks, he thinks the reefs are a good start.

"I'm hoping that we don't stop here and we keep pushing forward to get additional wrecks in-shore," Robinson said. "We have a lot shipwrecks, boats that were sunk for artificial reefs, and that is what the big draw is here."

Jackson said while it will take up to five years before marine life starts inhabiting the new reefs, he believes next summer should see a nice spike in the diving community.