Two ships were sunk to benefit the marine environment and create additional fishing and scuba diving opportunities offshore Jacksonville Florida. The new underwater scuba destinations were created by recycling decommissioned metal vessels. This video shows the cleaning and preparation effort that was required to make these boats suitable for artificial reef creation.

The freshly scuttled ships are already teaming with marine life. In a short period of time, they will be covered with growth that will provide resources for an abundance of ocean critters. Visiting scuba divers will have the opportunity to swim around these large ship reefs and observe a great diversity of fish as well as sea turtles. Underwater photographers will appreciate the iconic sunken ship structures when shooting wide angle but will also enjoy the macro photography opportunities when capturing coral growth and juvenile fish pictures.

The new Jacksonville scuba diving sites GPS coordinates are below.

Greater Jax Kingfish Reef: (sailboat ship)
30°22.011'N
80°54.320'W

Jimmy Dales Reef: (tugboat)
30°21.969'N
80°54.365'W

Visit the Visit Jacksonville website for more information on these new scuba diving reefs as well as other fishing and scuba diving opportunities.

#scubadive #jacksonville #divedestination

In this video we explore reef sites that were recently created offshore Ponte Vedra Beach. The artificial reefs were constructed utilizing recycled concrete materials and were placed only months before the underwater filming for this video. The new reefs are already teaming with marine life and are worthy offshore destinations to enjoy while visiting St. Augustine. Fishermen are catching a variety of fish, those that put up a sporting fight and those that can be harvested for tasty seafood meals. Scuba divers enjoy the modest depths of 65 through 70 feet and the vertical relief the reef structures provide. Tropical and colorful fish are encountered routinely as well as larger fish including Goliath grouper and game fish. These new reefs, in addition to the many other reefs accessible from the St. Augustine inlet, make St. Johns County one of the best places in Florida for fishing and Scuba Diving.

Reef Coordinates / Fishing coordinates:

Starship Reef (SR1) GPS Coordinates:
30° 10.199'
81° 09.305'

Starship Reef (SR2) GPS numbers:
30° 10.177'
81° 09.351'

John C. Leone Reef (JCL) GPS Reef Coordinates:
30° 10.163'
81° 09.627'

Special thanks for video production support:
Ed Kalakauskis
Larry Davis
Dean Gwin
Jack Leone
Chris Saltmarsh
The St. Augustine Lighthouse
Jeff Valin

Additional thanks to those involved in creating the new reefs:
Coastal Conservation Association
Gate Precast
Lamb's Yacht Center
Shell
Dames Point Workboats

Video brought to you by:
St. Johns County Tourist Development Council
Kistel Media LLC

Tropical fish, colorful sponges, branching corals, and exotic critters are just a few of the many amazing encounters waiting to be explored by scuba divers offshore St. Johns County. In this video we investigate a natural reef east of Ponte Vedra Beach that is 80 feet under the sea surface. Down below we find a plethera of sea life and a diversity of colors that we think we would surprise most visiting scuba divers.

We pay close attention to the blue and yellow damselfish and watch them feverishly defend their small patch of sea floor territory. The damsels are slightly larger then the spotted cardinal fish, which are occasion observed incubating eggs in their mouths. We also find, or we should say we are found, by several beautiful Blue angelfish which make the dive site feel like a tropical location. The angelfish love to eat sea sponges which are plentiful and provide a variety of colors and structure to the reef. Finally, we are lucky to spot a stealthy octopus who entertains our divers by changing its color and texture patterns.

The Ponte Vedra Grounds reef site, called "PV Reef," is a natural underwater ledge system teaming with life. It is an ideal offshore destination for both scuba divers and fishermen.

Reef Coordinates / Fishing coordinates (St. Augustine Ponte Vedra Reef):

PV Reef GPS Coordinates:
30° 11.997'
81° 09.837'

Special Thanks:
Lou DeNicola
Ed Kalakauskis
Larry Davis

Brought to you by:
St. Johns County Tourist Development Council
Kistel Media LLC

Over forty A6 Intruder Aircraft lie on the ocean floor just off the coast of St Augustine, Florida. These aircraft were sank intentionally to create artificial reef habitat and a recreational area for fishermen and scuba divers. This Intruder Reef Is likely the only scuba diving location where divers can explore this many sunken military aircraft.

The planes were sunk in 1995 and since then have evolved into a diverse ecosystem where many species of fish and marine invertebrates thrive. The metal aircraft bodies are covered in growth, things like coral and sponges, and this growth provides resources for the marine creatures that utilize the reef. It is a great site for scuba divers and offshore fishermen. There are often a variety of colorful fish encountered as well as eels. Fishermen are likely to catch favorites including Grouper and Snapper.

The sunken jets reside 90 to 100 feet below and the area filmed can be found at the Reef Coordinates below.

Reef Coordinates / Fishing coordinates (St. Augustine Intruder Reef):

Reef GPS Coordinates:
29° 54.334'
80° 48.185'

Special Thanks:
Joe Kistel (Host)
Ed Kalakauskis (Diver)
Larry Davis (Diver, Cameraman)
Jack Leone (Diver, Offshore transportation)
Chuck Darner (Offshore transportation)
Harold Conger (Offshore transportation)
Erik Hildebrandt (Historic images and info resources)
Steve Blalock (Info consultant)
FWC (additional historic info)

Brought to you by:
St. Johns County Tourist Development Council
Kistel Media LLC

The history on the creation of the St. Augustine Intruder Reef is interesting and the full story was beyond the scope of this video. The January 1997 issue of Air & Space Magazine contains a great article by Erik Hildebrandt detailing the story of how and why the Intruder Aircraft reef was created offshore St. Augustine. Today the St. Augustine diving location is a favorite dive spot.

The Destin, Fort Walton Beach area is home to spectacular underwater destinations. Just off the coast are an abundance of reefs with a great diversity of marine life. Visitors can experience these unique marine habitats via fishing, scuba diving, or even snorkeling.

The UWDFWB YouTube channel features videos describing the reefs of the region and the recreational opportunities they provide. Be sure to watch the underwater focused videos currently on the channel and subscribe and click the "notification" icon to be notified of future videos as they are posted. Welcome to Fort Walton Beach and Destin Florida! We look forward to seeing you on the water.

What happens to massive concrete structures that have been used for high power ordinance target practice at Elgin Air Force Base? Well they are utilized to create productive reef habitat offshore Destin, Florida. Concrete has a proven record of success when utilized in offshore habitat creation projects. The concrete provided by the air force base is special though because the damaged area created by military ordnance creates irregularities and surface area. This adds to the complexity and diversity of the over all reef site structure ensuring plenty of area for organisms to grow and marine life to use as shelter.

There are currently four individual artificial reef sites constructed using these recycled concrete structures and there are plans to create more. They are great for both fishing and scuba diving and are easily accessible from Destin's East Pass Inlet. They reside in depths of 65 -70 feet.

Reef Coordinates for fishing and diving visitors:
FH-13 = 30°21.394 'N 86°32.877 'W
FH-14 = 30°21.139 'N 86°36.878 'W
FH-15 = 30°21.891 'N 86°42.374 'W
FH-16 = 30°20.890 'N 86°46.875 'W

A big thanks to all involved in production of this video...
Alex Fogg - Visit Destin - Fort Walton Beach
Kyle Howard - Offshore Transportation Support
Joe Kistel - Kistel Media - Cinematographer
Eglin Air Force Base - Historic Footage
Emerald Coast CVB - Historic Footage

Brought to you by Visit Destin - Fort Walton Beach and produced by Kistel Media LLC.

Snorkel Reefs are being created in shallow waters off the beaches of Okaloosa county. The region's clear emerald-green waters allow beach goers the convenient opportunity to swim with marine life. Snorkelers may encounter a number of fish species including colorful tropical varieties as well as sport fish, sea turtles, and dolphin.
The snorkel reefs already constructed are located at Beach Access #4, Beasley Park, Henderson Park East, and at The Crab Trap. These reefs are also view-able from above from an airplane, helicopter, or para-sail perspective.

A big thanks to all involved in production of this video...
Alex Fogg - Visit Destin - Fort Walton Beach
Josh Livingston - Dread Knot Charters
Joe Livingston - DreadKnot Charters
Joe Kistel - Kistel Media - Cinematographer
Ed Kalakauskis - Safety Diver
Walter Marine
Taylor Engineering

Brought to you by Visit Destin - Fort Walton Beach and produced by Kistel Media LLC.

Destin - Fort Walton Beach has taken an invasive Lionfish species problem and created recreational opportunities with delicious perks. Watch how visiting scuba divers can participate in removing Lionfish offshore Destin Florida, a nonnative region for Lionfish, and enjoy eating those same fish at an Okaloosa county restaurant.

In the video we watch a seasoned Lionfish hunter collect Lionfish and then witness a visiting diver learning how to spear Lionfish on her first try. She demonstrates how simple it is to capture Lionfish.

A big thanks to the following for their help and participation:
The Crab Trap (Destin)
AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar (Destin)
Becca Hurley
Blue Water Escape Charters
Dread Knot Charters

Video produced by:
Visit Destin - Fort Walton Beach
Kistel Media LLC

Disclaimer:
(Caution: Lionfish have venomous spines)
Lionfish are a prolific invasive species in the region where this video was filmed (Northern Gulf Of Mexico). In order to maintain the health of the native ecosystem it is critical to try to minimize invasive Lionfish populations.
It is important to note that Lionfish are not considered invasive in their native ranges such as the Indo-Pacific region.

Not far offshore of Destin's East Pass lie two sunken vessels that provide habitat to a variety of marine life species. These Florida artificial reefs have become recreational destinations for fishermen and scuba divers. The Janet is a sunken tugboat that is fully intact, and the landing craft is a military vessel with a retractable bow door. Both of these wrecks lie in about 90 to 95 feet of water and are great dive sites as well as fishing locations.

A big thanks to all involved in production of this video...
Alex Fogg - Visit Destin - Fort Walton Beach
Josh Livingston - Dread Knot Charters
Ed Kalakauskis - Safety Diver
Joe Livingston - DreadKnot Charters
Christopher Saul - Aerial Imagery - Okaloosa County
John McCain - Diver-Dive Rite - Diver
Joe Kistel - Kistel Media - Cinematographer

Brought to you by the Destin - Fort Walton Beach and produced by Kistel Media LLC.

As Mr. Fogg states in the video, Destin - Fort Walton Beach is home to some of the most fruitful waters in the world. Fishing in Destin or Scuba diving in Destin is not to be missed!