THE TOWER REEFS

FOUR NAVY TOWERS DEPLOYED

Reef Specs:


Location:

American Custom Yachts:

N 27 13.148  / W 80 00.338

Baratta/Sight-Sea-Er:

N 27 13.301 / W 80 00.307

Bausch American Tower:

N 27 13.152  / W 80 00.259

Debbie Schmidt:

N 27 13.277  / W 80 00.266


Depth: 150-180 feet

Profile: 70-100 feet

Materials: Steel Frame

The towers were donated by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic in Fort Pierce Florida and prepared for the journey to the depths by members of the MCAC Reef Fund. The four steel towers, three of which were 35-feet tall with foam filled buoys attached for roughly 100ft of profile, were sunk in the southeast section of Martin County's Sirotkin artificial reef zone. Large foam-filled buoys were used to help ensure the structures sank upright and did not topple over to the side.

Continuing the line in deep-water, artificial-reef structures will parallel the natural Eight Mile Reef two miles to the west in 85 to 120 feet of water. Pelagic game fish species such as marlin, wahoo, tuna, dolphin, kingfish and cobia will be sought after catches there. Amberjacks, grouper, sea bass and snapper also will stop by. But sailfish is one species anglers hope to see in good supply there one day.

The towers' sinking was made possible by an effort that sold naming rights to the structures. A total of $13,000 was raised last year by the Foundation, almost enough private money to entirely cover the cost of the project. Benefactors Debbie Schmidt of Stuart, Bausch Towers aluminum fabrication company, American Custom Yachts and Dr. Bob Baratta of Stuart donated the money. Each tower bears a steel plate with the donor's name.

Update: one month after their sinking, a team of volunteers visited the towers to find that life already exists there. Small schools of bait fish were found around the upper end of the structures with some bottom fish hanging out by their bases.