Old weapons latest part of Strand's many reefs

Artificial reefs along the Grand Strand are thriving and benefiting the area's economy in the process, according to officials with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Roughly 20 of the 45 artificial reefs along the state's coast can be accessed from Little River to Georgetown, and use of the Grand Strand area sites account for about 40 percent of the $83 million the state generates annually related to the structures, said Bob Martore, DNR artificial reef program coordinator.

"Reefs in that area are the most heavily utilized followed by Charleston, Beaufort, and Hilton Head," Martore said. "They have become great fish-producing reefs."

The reefs are significant spots for people to enjoy recreation activities such as diving and fishing, and they have been an economic boost along the coast.

With the revenue the reefs bring to the state, "we expect to continue to enhance these ocean reefs," said Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach.

Four reefs in the Little River/North Myrtle Beach area -- including the Jim Caudle Artificial Reef and the Little River Offshore Reef -- generate about $13 million annually, based on a 2006 DNR study. The study also shows that all the reefs from Little River to Georgetown generate about $40 million annually.

The community thinks the Jim Caudle Reef has contributed about $15 million to $20 million annually to the North Strand economy since 2006, said Ron McManus, chairman of the Dixie Chicken Fishing Funament.

McManus has been instrumental in the growth of the Caudle Reef, named soon after Jim Caudle, a popular Little River recreational fisherman and McManus' friend, passed away in 2000.

With the current economic climate, Martore said the numbers may not be as high as $20 million, but the reef sites continue to bring in a steady revenue and have grown since 2006.

"The Jim Caudle Reef has grown quicker than any of the other ones," he said. "It is growing quickly, so I imagine the numbers are remaining pretty strong."

The Caudle Reef has become the number one visited reef in South Carolina.

Out of all trips to the S.C. reefs, 10 percent of those trips are to the Jim Caudle Reef, said Marc Jordan, president and CEO of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Close behind is the Little River Offshore Reef, accounting for 5 percent of all trips, Jordan said.

The S.C. Army National Guard donated 30 M-113 armored personnel carriers that were added Wednesday to the Jim Caudle Reef and the Little River Offshore Reef.

"The more we can add out there to continue the growth, the better it is because the fish will continue to congregate there," McManus said. "Little boats and big boats can go out there and people can catch fish out there. [The materials added] have brought in a lot of fish variety to catch out there."

The Guard has partnered for 13 years with DNR to donate surplus materials to the Marine Artificial Reef program, known as the Reef-Ex project.

"The program is ongoing," Martore said. "We're constantly adding material. We're always looking for the next project down the road."

The next project will be in a couple of weeks when DNR officials tow a small barge close to shore to the Georgetown Nearshore Reef, Martore said.

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