Your contributions help to fund this project cradle to grave. At the cradle we are extracting Florida limestone from mother earth, shipping 40-miles 20-tons of material, where a crane unloads the boulder and stacks it for loading on the 140-foot ocean barge which hauls 200 tons per load to the project site. The boulder is lifted with a crane and is sets it in place with the help of two divers and a barge assistant. Our 4-foot boulders will also be memorial sites for loved ones, our grave, rest-in-peace. The Imagination Reef will have 14,301 boulders and your contributions are just the beginning of this amazing organization established to create the world’s largest man-made reef and become the world’s leader in scientific study of reefs and their ecosystems!
Understanding the cost of materials and transportation by the ton. To the cost of the rock or piling, we must include trucking to the loading dock, transportation to the reef site by barge and then set in place by divers on the bottom. These are the logistics of reef building.
The first requirement is from the Permitting of the Department of Environmental Resources management that the smallest rock boulder or material is required to weigh over 500 lbs.
Second factor is that all transportation to the loading dock is calculated and limited to 20 tons per load. The letters of “Protect The Oceans” “Save Our Reefs” alone require 9,065 tons or 454 twenty-ton truckloads.
After delivery, the materials are unloaded by crane and loaded to the barge. The barge deployment to the reef is calculated at 200 tons per transport or 18 barge loads. The materials are then deposited on the ocean bottom by crane.
Finally, the 19,661,140 pounds of Ancient Florida Coral Rock and Marine Piling are set in place by divers one boulder or one length of piling at a time.
In the end, the Imagination Reef Project, with your contributions will become the future of an In-Situ experience in reef development for the future Marine Biologists of tomorrow, training today in our universities and colleges across the nation.
1,368 two-foot diameter Boulders 500 lbs. – $400 each
12.56 Square Feet of exposed natural coral rock
10,266 three-foot Boulders 1,762 lbs. – $700 each
28.27 Square Feet of exposed natural coral rock
1,565 four-foot Boulders 4,187 lbs. – $1,200, plaque included
50.26 Square Feet of exposed natural coral rock
The surface area of each boulder is important as it creates a superior base for development of corals, microorganisms and other marine life while providing a unique educational and recreational underwater experience for our scientist and divers.
Each piling is 150 lbs. per linear foot and come in lengths ranging from 12 feet to 49.67 feet. In all, there is 1,531,680 lbs. of concrete pilings. The most common piling lengths are:
- 12’ and 16’ Piling with respective wights of 1,800 lbs. and 2,400 lbs.
- 22’ and 36’ Piling with respective wights of 3,300 lbs. and 5,400 lbs.
- 42’ and 48’ Piling with respective wights of 6,300 lbs. and 7,200 lbs.
* The donation purchase of any piling 42’ or longer will include a 4” X 6” bronze plaque plus GPS coordinates once installed.
There are 10,211 lineal feet of pilings providing the outline of “PROTECT THE OCEANS” and “SAVE OUR REEFS”. These pilings also provide a significant platform for the planting of Coral Tree’s and the development throughout the project.
Our live rock is grown at our aquaculture site in Islamorada. The addition of Florida Aquaculture Live Rock to the project is intended to accelerate the biological development of the reef. The Live Rock will be attached to the boulders to ensure that it will remain on the reef. This process will be managed and installed by Marine Biologists and their students from our Universities. All training will be provided by our staff of Biologist supporting Reefs For Oceans.
Support our reef with your donation for live rock @ $15 per pound!
Imagination Reef was inspired through unique individuals that have brought us closer to the oceans. We honor these individuals and their achievements through the Monuments of Imagination Reef.
Our deepest gratitude goes out to the Godfather of scuba diving and deep-sea explorationist, Jacques Cousteau, with our largest monument 100’ x 100’. Jacques Cousteau’s monument is flanked by two monuments, Earnest Hemmingway and Don Aronow, which are each 80’ x 80’. The seven remaining monuments are dedicated to the seven seas of the world and are each 60’ x 60’.
Your sponsorship of these monuments will be supporting not only the reef itself but also the summer programs for our Student Marine Biologists and Professors who will be monitoring the coral & marine growth for decades to come.
Information on these Monument Sponsorships is available by calling. Please contact the office at 888-RFO-REEF for further information.
Duke Kahanamoku
Godfather of Surfing,
also known as “The Big Kahuna”
Soldiers, Sailors
and Others Lost at Sea
This monument is a testament for those seafarers who were lost at sea – and returned to the waters where all life began.
Marine Biologist
Past, Present and Future
These are the front line soldiers in the fight to Protect The Oceans and Save Our Reefs. Without them, we will eventually lose our reefs.