MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County's newest artificial reef, the Boo McCulley Reef, features a 227-foot ship sitting 200 feet below the ocean's surface.
The ship, known as "The Borocho," was sunk nine miles off the coast of Martin County in November. The reef honors Boo McCulley, a man responsible for building thousands of artificial reefs from Palm Beach to Volusia County.
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Once a derelict ship in the Miami River, "The Borocho" will now attract a biodiverse ecosystem.
"That gives fish, from bottom dwellers to fish that hang out in the middle of the water column, something to hang around and feed off of if they eat algae or they eat the little shrimp that gives them somewhere else to go," Jessica Garland said.
Garland, the coastal program manager for Martin County Public Works, explained the reef is also a resource to sustain the local economy, which relies heavily on marine life.
"It takes pressure off the natural reef by giving the fisherman somewhere else to go. It allows the dive boats somewhere new to go dive if they have advanced tech divers," Garland said.
Jack McCulley, Boo's son, watched the large ship sink last November in honor of his father. He said his father was once a pirate before dedicating over 30 years of his life to building artificial reefs.
"You're taking an area of dead sand that is has very little life on it and you're creating a situation that promotes life," McCulley said.
"He came here and started doing marine logistics and just providing the critical infrastructure that makes all of this happy little white boat activity possible," McCulley said.
Although Boo is gone, his legacy continues to bring life to local waters.
"My dad was a force multiplier. He would build something and then encourage what he was building to explode. And that's the legacy he left behind," McCulley said.
