Bayahibe Reef Ball Projects
Because there are numerous Reef Ball submerged breakwater projects which created most of the beach in Bayahibe since our first project in the area in 1996, we have arranged them from North to South because many of the monitorings and aerial photograph documentation overlaps projects. Their is a great deal of complexity and engineering adjustments made over the years and projects to maintain an ideal beach with snorkeling and recreational use of the Reef Balls. All of these projects have been overseen by Dr. Lee Harris of the Florida Institute of Technology (lharrisATfit.edu use @ instead of AT). This area has been a proving ground for Reef Ball submerged breakwaters. Reef Balls in this area have been anchored in a variety of ways, they have been successfully reposition when uses changed, and endangered corals have been asexually reproduced and planted here with success.
This community development project aims to add Reef Balls to protect their beach and enhance the guest viewing exeriance along a proposed dock with aquarium like viewing stations.
Gran Dominicus was the 1st hotel in the world to do a Reef Ball submerged breakwater way back in 1996. In 2004 they added a second expansion and their beach had grow from just rocks to a beach so wide we actually had to move the Reef Balls further out to allow for more swimming area! In 2004, the Reef Ball Foundation's Coral Team did a demonstration project and asexually reproduced and planted 2 Elkhorn Corals (Acropora palmata) which are endangered. The montioring in 2007 shows the corals grew to over 1 foot in width and height (starting at the size that would fit into a 35mm film canister) in just 3 years. This was a surprise to the Coral Team as there are many tourists in the area using the area and it would only take one careless step to kill the coral. This folder contains hundreds of images of this project over the years. Gran Dominicus was awarded a Reef Ball Foundation Project of the Year Award in the category of Innovative Uses of Reef Balls for their pioneering work on more environmentally friendly ways create and protect a beach.
Our 3rd Hotel to undertake a Reef Ball project in the region, the Canola Hotel has certainly been a leader. Canola Hotel hosted the Reef Ball Foundation Board of Directors Meeting in 2004, and in 2007 they hosted a monitoring trip for Dr. Harris, Reef Ball Foundation Staff and graduate students from FIT. They have hundreds of Reef Balls protecting their beach and are planning an asexual coral reproduction and planting project for the Fall of 2007.
Our 2nd Hotel in this area to undertake a Reef Ball project was the Iberostary. Being right next to Gran Dominicus, they naturally saw the sucess of the Reef Balls for building and holding a beach and extended the line to create and protect the beach on their property.
The area to the south of the Reef Ball Submerged Breakwater Projects has been monitor over the years to ensure there is no "downdrift" effect of the Reef Balls...and that has been the case. This folder contains photos from monitorings.
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.