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BOCA RATON — Divers and snorkelers will have a new underwater structure to explore off the shore of Boca Raton.

Palm Beach County dropped Boca Raton’s third artificial reef made from 530 tons of limestone near the Boca Raton Inlet on Wednesday. The reef was funded in part by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission grant.

The manmade structure, which sits at a 35-foot depth, is meant to recreate a lost nearshore habitat for juvenile species transitioning from the Intracoastal Waterway to Boca Raton’s offshore reefs, the city said.

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Artificial reefs are structures dropped in underwater areas to enhance the habitat for reef organisms. They attract fish and other organisms to the area and create scenic underwater attractions for divers and snorkelers. 

It’s the third artificial reef in Boca Raton. 

The six artificial reef modules placed in 1988 off the shore of Red Reef Park, one of the most popular snorkeling destinations in the county, were praised recently by Coastal Living Magazine.

The artificial reefs at Red Reef Park in Boca Raton captured in underwater images after they were dropped in May 1988. (Photo collage courtesy of City of Boca Raton)

Coastal Living named Red Reef Park one of the top 10 Florida destinations for snorkeling.

“Situated off scenic A1A between South Beach Park and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Red Reef Beach boasts an artificial reef where snorkelers can see a variety of tropical fish upon entering the water.,” the magazine writes. “The reef is shallow, so plan to snorkel when the tide is high.”

Another artificial reef, a little more than 2 acres in size, is south of the Boca Raton Inlet, accessible from South Inlet Park. The reef was dropped in 2002 as part of the city’s renourishment project. 

Follow Boca Raton reporter Lulu Ramadan on Twitter at @luluramadan.

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