The waters off Mexico Beach in the Florida panhandle are an extension of the beautiful soft sand beaches that attract sunworshippers to this area of the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, the sea bottom consists of miles and miles of barren sand bottom that does little to attract a diversity of sea life. That was until a group of local fishermen and divers decided to create artificial reefs that would over time turn Mexico Beach into a fishing and diving destination. After a slow start, they formed the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association, affectionately known as MBARA. Their vision and hard work have transformed the area into prime habitat for a vast array of marine life as a result of the reef structures they have been placing on the sea floor for the past 28 years. It is a success story of epic proportions.
Yamaha representatives attended the Mexico Beach King Mackerel Tournament this past July. Yamaha has been one of the sponsors of the event for the past fifteen years. It is MBARA’s largest fundraising event, and it attracts over one hundred boats and hundreds of anglers to compete for trophies, cash and prizes, but mostly to support the work of the association. Attending the tournament gave us the opportunity to sit down with Bob Cox, MBARA’s current president, and Nate Odum, the owner of Mexico Beach Marina, the local Yamaha dealer.
“MBARA got started in 1997,” Cox told us during an interview a few hours before the start of the tournament weigh-in. “A group of like-minded fishermen and sport divers wanted to do something to create more habitat off our coast. The natural bottom here is just flat sand with no hard substrate for corals and other clinging organisms to attach to and grow on. Prior to the formation of the organization some fishermen took it upon themselves to dump old car bodies out there, but quickly found that those efforts ran afoul of state and federal regulations.”
Those early efforts led to the creation of MBARA and once the fledgling non-profit was incorporated, the group began the process of researching the permitting process necessary to establish reef sites and have them approved by state and federal entities. The next step was obtaining reefing materials that met the prevailing requirements and then finding ways to build and deploy them, and that takes money. One of their first fundraising efforts was the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association Kingfish Tournament, which was in its 28th year at the time of our interview.
“The tournament generated funds that helped us compete for matching Florida Wildlife Commission grants, and it became the foundation for so much of the work we’ve accomplished,” said Cox. “In the years since MBARA was incorporated, we’ve built over 300 reefs and deployed thousands of reef structures. To date, we have invested $4.7 million with dollars generated by the tournament, sponsors and supporters, and through grants from government agencies and foundations. The results of our work have been truly remarkable. We have turned that barren sand bottom into a thriving marine ecosystem that generates fabulous fishing for anglers and a great destination for scuba divers.”
The success of the reefs is an economic driver for Mexico Beach tourism and a great booster for businesses in the area. It also generates an influx of new residents who moved here to enjoy fishing and diving in addition to the existing beach culture.
Bob and his wife Carol are avid scuba divers and photographers which blends in nicely with their work with MBARA. They have been documenting marine life on the reefs in photographs and videos that can be found on the association website and social media. The images they capture are amazing. The Gulf’s most popular gamefish is the red snapper, a fish that rarely ventured inshore until the reef building began. As more and more reefs were created the red snapper population grew from a rare catch to levels of such epic proportions that the area has become known as the red snapper capitol of Florida. These beautiful, brightly colored gamefish grow to thirty pounds, put up an incredible fight on appropriate tackle, and can be found throughout the reef system.
“The variety of fish found on and around the reefs just keeps expanding and Carol and I have seen them all on our dives,” Bob told us. “The pelagic species include kingfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, mahi-mahi, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, and cobia, all of which move into the area as part of their Gulf migrations, attracted by the bait schools that frequent the reefs. Fish that inhabit the reef structure include a red snapper, gag grouper, red grouper, scamp, mangrove snapper, gray triggerfish, amberjack, black sea bass, sheepshead, hogfish and flounder. Divers are finding spiny and shovelnose lobsters, too. As divers, it’s the variety of life we really enjoy seeing out there and we try to always have a camera ready because you never know what you’re going to come across on a dive. We have even encountered colorful tropical fish species not typically found in this area of the Gulf.”
The MBARA success story is inspiring and possibly the most prolific public-private partnership involved in artificial reef building in the country. One of the reasons they have been able to accomplish so much is their network of grass roots volunteers and local businesses that have become so supportive of their work.
“We have been blessed by the involvement of sponsors that donate money, product and time to our efforts,” Bob said. “Yamaha has become a fixture at the tournaments having been a sponsor for the past fifteen years. Nate Odum, the co-owner of Mexico Beach Marina, our local Yamaha outboard dealer, was on the board of directors for many years and served on the tournament committee. He was responsible for bringing Yamaha into the fold. Our relationship with the city of Mexico Beach is fantastic. Without their help it would be hard to obtain the permits we need to continue expanding the reef system.”
Bob mentioned that MBARA has a large, dedicated membership with volunteers who provide much of the muscle needed to build reef habitat. In addition to donated materials, many of the reef structures are made from concrete and rebar using a variety of designs adopted from research done by state and federal government agencies. As their programs have grown and been proven to be successful those agencies have become our partners in building and studying the reefs.
MBARA’s relationship with fishermen and divers is a harmonious one. “When Carol and I are out surveying reefs we frequently stop alongside boats to talk with fishermen and divers about their day and about the program. Most are familiar with what we do and appreciate how it has benefited their days on the water.”
This year’s kingfish tournament is a perfect example of the buy-in from the fishing public. Over one hundreds boats were registered in divisions that cater to everyone from hardcore kingfish tournament teams in large, multi-outboard center consoles to families in more modest boats simply out to enjoy the day, catch some fish and support MBARA. Bob and his crew work hard to make it a family event with a huge outdoor party that coincides with the captain’s meeting the night before the weigh-in festivities. It features food, drinks, live music and lots of fish stories. Yamaha Outboards is proud to be a small part of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association’s remarkable success story. You can follow their progress and keep up with their fundraising events at https://MBARA.org
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Yamaha representatives attended the Mexico Beach King Mackerel Tournament this past July. Yamaha has been one of the sponsors of the event for the past fifteen years. It is MBARA’s largest fundraising event, and it attracts over one hundred boats and hundreds of anglers to compete for trophies, cash and prizes, but mostly to support the work of the association. Attending the tournament gave us the opportunity to sit down with Bob Cox, MBARA’s current president, and Nate Odum, the owner of Mexico Beach Marina, the local Yamaha dealer.
“MBARA got started in 1997,” Cox told us during an interview a few hours before the start of the tournament weigh-in. “A group of like-minded fishermen and sport divers wanted to do something to create more habitat off our coast. The natural bottom here is just flat sand with no hard substrate for corals and other clinging organisms to attach to and grow on. Prior to the formation of the organization some fishermen took it upon themselves to dump old car bodies out there, but quickly found that those efforts ran afoul of state and federal regulations.”
Those early efforts led to the creation of MBARA and once the fledgling non-profit was incorporated, the group began the process of researching the permitting process necessary to establish reef sites and have them approved by state and federal entities. The next step was obtaining reefing materials that met the prevailing requirements and then finding ways to build and deploy them, and that takes money. One of their first fundraising efforts was the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association Kingfish Tournament, which was in its 28th year at the time of our interview.
“The tournament generated funds that helped us compete for matching Florida Wildlife Commission grants, and it became the foundation for so much of the work we’ve accomplished,” said Cox. “In the years since MBARA was incorporated, we’ve built over 300 reefs and deployed thousands of reef structures. To date, we have invested $4.7 million with dollars generated by the tournament, sponsors and supporters, and through grants from government agencies and foundations. The results of our work have been truly remarkable. We have turned that barren sand bottom into a thriving marine ecosystem that generates fabulous fishing for anglers and a great destination for scuba divers.”
The success of the reefs is an economic driver for Mexico Beach tourism and a great booster for businesses in the area. It also generates an influx of new residents who moved here to enjoy fishing and diving in addition to the existing beach culture.
Bob and his wife Carol are avid scuba divers and photographers which blends in nicely with their work with MBARA. They have been documenting marine life on the reefs in photographs and videos that can be found on the association website and social media. The images they capture are amazing. The Gulf’s most popular gamefish is the red snapper, a fish that rarely ventured inshore until the reef building began. As more and more reefs were created the red snapper population grew from a rare catch to levels of such epic proportions that the area has become known as the red snapper capitol of Florida. These beautiful, brightly colored gamefish grow to thirty pounds, put up an incredible fight on appropriate tackle, and can be found throughout the reef system.
“The variety of fish found on and around the reefs just keeps expanding and Carol and I have seen them all on our dives,” Bob told us. “The pelagic species include kingfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, mahi-mahi, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, and cobia, all of which move into the area as part of their Gulf migrations, attracted by the bait schools that frequent the reefs. Fish that inhabit the reef structure include a red snapper, gag grouper, red grouper, scamp, mangrove snapper, gray triggerfish, amberjack, black sea bass, sheepshead, hogfish and flounder. Divers are finding spiny and shovelnose lobsters, too. As divers, it’s the variety of life we really enjoy seeing out there and we try to always have a camera ready because you never know what you’re going to come across on a dive. We have even encountered colorful tropical fish species not typically found in this area of the Gulf.”
The MBARA success story is inspiring and possibly the most prolific public-private partnership involved in artificial reef building in the country. One of the reasons they have been able to accomplish so much is their network of grass roots volunteers and local businesses that have become so supportive of their work.
“We have been blessed by the involvement of sponsors that donate money, product and time to our efforts,” Bob said. “Yamaha has become a fixture at the tournaments having been a sponsor for the past fifteen years. Nate Odum, the co-owner of Mexico Beach Marina, our local Yamaha outboard dealer, was on the board of directors for many years and served on the tournament committee. He was responsible for bringing Yamaha into the fold. Our relationship with the city of Mexico Beach is fantastic. Without their help it would be hard to obtain the permits we need to continue expanding the reef system.”
Bob mentioned that MBARA has a large, dedicated membership with volunteers who provide much of the muscle needed to build reef habitat. In addition to donated materials, many of the reef structures are made from concrete and rebar using a variety of designs adopted from research done by state and federal government agencies. As their programs have grown and been proven to be successful those agencies have become our partners in building and studying the reefs.
MBARA’s relationship with fishermen and divers is a harmonious one. “When Carol and I are out surveying reefs we frequently stop alongside boats to talk with fishermen and divers about their day and about the program. Most are familiar with what we do and appreciate how it has benefited their days on the water.”
This year’s kingfish tournament is a perfect example of the buy-in from the fishing public. Over one hundreds boats were registered in divisions that cater to everyone from hardcore kingfish tournament teams in large, multi-outboard center consoles to families in more modest boats simply out to enjoy the day, catch some fish and support MBARA. Bob and his crew work hard to make it a family event with a huge outdoor party that coincides with the captain’s meeting the night before the weigh-in festivities. It features food, drinks, live music and lots of fish stories. Yamaha Outboards is proud to be a small part of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association’s remarkable success story. You can follow their progress and keep up with their fundraising events at https://MBARA.org
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