al-Fahal, July 1998
Concrete 'reef ball' Project to
shed light on coral growth
By Ruby Ormerod
THE first of a number of `Reef balls' have been deployed in Ras al Hamra Recreation Centre's
bay, launching a PDO-sponsored Ras AI Hamra SubAqua Club (RAHSAC) project to study ways
of restoring and fostering marine growth.
A general decline in the diversity and proliferation of the world's reefs over the years due to
anchoring, over-fishing and pollutants motivated the dive club to join in the international campaign to
save the reefs.
Their initiative--Project Reef Creator or 'Pro-Creator' for short--is the result.
"Pro-Creator is designed to test the Florida-based `Reefballs' concept, which is said to represent the
world's most advanced artificial reef technology," says RAHSAC Environmental Officer, Nic Heymans.
Reefballs are concrete beehive-type structures about a metre high. They weigh 1.2 tonnes and are
criss-crossed through the middle with tunnels. The concrete consists of an environmentally-friendly
composite which, over time, becomes pH-neutral to encourage coral growth. The tunnels imitate the
cracks and crevices found in natural reefs.
REEFBALLS: Inflatable bouys give shape to the concrete tunnels (left); and a finished ball (right)
The first Reefballs were constructed in the Mina al Fahal harbour under supervision of PDO's Coastal
Operations Supervisor, Abdullah Hall, with technical assistance from Al Turki Materials Manager Dr
L.V. Raja and Grace Construction Products' L.P. Samant, who supplied some of the environmentallyfriendly
additives for the concrete.
The first three balls were lowered from the PDO barge onto the sandy bottom of Ras Al Hamra bay......
