Tuesday April 2, 2024
Santa Barbara Independent —
Wednesday morning’s clear skies and smooth waters were perfect for ferrying 15 huge concrete domes, or “Sea Caves,” to the bay off Goleta Beach and then dumping them overboard.
These 500-pound structures acted as deck seats for our trip from Santa Barbara Harbor, but once we arrived at our destination, they were ready to settle on the seafloor and fulfill their true purpose: creating the foundation for a new kelp forest and artificial reef system.
The caves’ deployment was the realization of a long-held dream and 12 years of hard work on behalf of the Fish Reef Project, a Santa Barbara–based nonprofit aiming to replenish depleted underwater habitats on the Central Coast and around the world. It marked the official beginning of the nonprofit’s five-year Goleta Kelp Reef Restoration Project.