Spiny sea star curled on top of the glass module

Artificial Reef Mark II

The first milk crate - as yet unassigned
The first milk crate - as yet unassigned

During the course of the last week or so, Kate and Tony have been putting in place the framework for a new artificial reef structure at Long Beach. You may recall our original artificial reef – this one is slightly different in that it currently comprises three separate modules, each about 5 metres apart, in a roughly triangular arrangement. One module will be made up of plastic and other synthetic materials, another is for glass, and the third and fourth (which hasn’t been placed yet) will be for wood and metal. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly the various substances get colonised and covered by marine life.

The reef is located on the sand, and is quite easy to find from landmarks at Long Beach. We are interested to watch its development, particularly because sea lettuce season is over! These photographs were taken on 15 May, after the reef had been in the water for just under a week.

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Clare

Lapsed mathematician, creator of order, formulator of hypotheses. Lover of the ocean, being outdoors, the bush, reading, photography, travelling (especially in Africa) and road trips.

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