Artificial Reefs

An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing. Many reefs are built using objects that were built for other purposes, for example by sinking oil rigs (through the Rigs-to-Reefs program), scuttling ships, or by deploying rubble or construction debris. Other artificial reefs are purpose built (e.g. the reef balls) from PVC or concrete. Shipwrecks may become artificial reefs when preserved on the sea floor. Regardless of construction method, artificial reefs generally provide hard surfaces where algae and invertebrates such as barnacles, corals, and oysters attach; the accumulation of attached marine life in turn provides intricate structure and food for assemblages of fish. The presence and location of these artificial reefs are not considered to be exact, and have been derived from multiple websites. Please note that this data has been clipped and reprojected for purposes of the San Diego Ocean Planning Partnership, a collaborative pilot project between the California State Lands Commission and the Port of San Diego. For more information about the Partnership, please visit: https://www.sdoceanplanning.org/