The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association congratulates the Florida Senate and House of Representatives for unanimously passing legislation which establishes a matching grant program titled Ships to Reefs. This bill, sponsored in the Senate by Mike Bennett, and in the House by Doug Holder, would authorize the sinking of decommissioned U.S. Military vessels as artificial reefs to increase marine habitat and tourism opportunities associated with recreational scuba diving and fishing.
With 380 decommissioned Navy ships already acting as marine habitat, Florida leads the nation in the number of vessels functioning as artificial reefs. Each year, thousands of visitors choose Florida to scuba dive on the artificial reef trail, providing an economic boost to the communities of the 272 Florida-based retail dive centers and local diving operators, as well as surrounding hotels and restaurants. A recent study estimates that the economic impact of the USS Vandenberg, scheduled to be sunk off the coast of Key West later this year, will generate between $56-$168 million over the next ten years...
[Press Release} and [ABC.com on the Oriskany]
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