Reef Balls - Site 1
Royal Caribbean has deployed several Reef Balls to encourage new reef development and to provide a haven for marine life. Reef balls are made of special concrete and placed underwater to foster the growth of coral, algae, etc., so that there can be more habitats for fish. Crew members and the cruise line's Aquatics Department are spearheading an initiative using concrete "reef balls" to rebuild a coral reef in the waters off CocoCay. The balls look similar to giant wiffle balls, made of a marine-friendly concrete, measuring up to four feet across by three feet tall and weighing as much as 1,750 pounds. The reef balls are deployed in two locations around CocoCay. These pictured here are placed in shallower waters near the Plane Wreck, closer to shore, to increase and enhance fish habitat and to act as a snorkeling path that leads guests to areas of interest. Additional balls are placed in deeper waters to assist in coral propagation. These balls also will be seeded with coral plugs to further spur the coral reef's growth.
All images are copyrighted 1993-2007 (C) by Reef Ball Foundation, Inc. and by the original photographers. High resolution versions of most newer images are available by emailing your request to reefball@reefball.com. (please provide the URL of the photo requested) Use of images requires a link to www.reefball.org crediting Reef Ball Foundation as the photo source. Please email any photos you have with Reef Ball images to us and we will post in this photo database. Please indicate if you are freely sharing the photos or wish to retain your original copyrights and we will note that when posted.