Golden Beach Boulder Reef

Fast Facts:

Average Depth: 45 ft. / 14 m
Max Depth: 45 ft. / 14 m

Features:

Artificial Reef

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On January 10, 2005, the Golden Beach Artificial Reef Site was inaugurated with the deployment of approximately 850 tons of limestone boulders. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Marine Fisheries provided an artificial reef construction grant to cost-share the creation of Miami-Dade County’s newest artificial reef.

The boulders were deployed in 45′ of water about one nautical mile east of the Town of Golden Beach. The boulders are arranged in three distinct “patch” reefs, lying 30-50′ apart and ranging in size from 45’Lx35’Wx9’H to 70’Lx35’Wx12’H.

These artifical reefs were created by DERM. In order to protect our natural reefs from the stress of excessive human interaction while encouraging recreational fishing and sport diving in coastal waters, “artificial” reefs are created out of a wide array of objects ranging from steel hulled ships, to army tanks, to commercial aircraft, to specially designed reef “modules.”