July 1994
INSTANT REEF
This artificial reef has openings and a textured surface that attract coral, fish, and
other marine life. The four-foot-high Reef Ball, designed by the Reef Ball Development
Group of Doraville, Ga., is made by pouring concrete between a fiberglass mold and an
inflatable bladder; removable, oddly shaped balls placed between the two skins create
holes. Floated to its deployment site, the reef slowly sinks when its bladder is deflated.
It can be used to create a dive site or bolster an ailing natural reef.