Reef Ball Foundation
Non-profit using designed artificial reefs for coral restoration worldwide.
The Reef Ball Foundation is a U.S.-registered nonprofit that works internationally to protect and restore coral reefs. It combines a specific type of artificial reef structure—the reef ball—with coral growing and transplanting methods, public education, and community training. To date, the foundation has created reef ball sites in 59 countries, deploying over 550,000 units across more than 4,000 separate projects.
The organization grew out of the Reef Ball Development Group, started in 1993 by Todd Barber. After seeing his favorite reef on Grand Cayman destroyed by Hurricane Gilbert, Barber wanted to help make eroding reefs more resilient. He and his father patented a design for reef modules that use an inflatable bladder inside, making them buoyant and easy to place by hand or from a small boat, without heavy machinery. Over the next few years, Barber worked with researchers from the University of Georgia, the Florida Institute of Technology, and nationwide artificial reef coordinators to refine the design. In 1997, Kathy Kirbo established the Reef Ball Foundation as a nonprofit, with Barber as chairman, Kirbo as executive director, and Larry Beggs, Eric Krasle, and Jay Jorgensen as charter members. Reef balls have since been placed in nearly every U.S. coastal state and on every continent, including Antarctica. The foundation’s work has expanded to include coral rescue, propagation and transplant operations, beach and mangrove restorations, and nursery development, along with education and outreach on environmental stewardship. In 2001, the foundation took over the Reef Ball Development Group, running all operations as a nonprofit. By 2007, it had deployed 550,000 reef balls worldwide. In 2019, 1,400 reef balls were placed off Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico, with additional projects in Quintana Roo, Baja California, Colima, Veracruz, and Campeche—totaling nearly 25,000 reef balls in Mexican waters.
The foundation manufactures reef balls for open-ocean use, ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 meters in diameter and 15 to 3,500 kilograms in weight. They are hollow, with several convex-concave holes of different sizes that create whirlpools, mimicking natural reef conditions. The concrete is pH-balanced and microsilica-based, and the surface is roughened to encourage marine life like corals, algae, coralline algae, and sponges to settle.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1993
- Founders
- Todd Barber, Kathy Kirbo, Larry Beggs, Eric Krasle, Jay Jorgensen, and Laura Shellhorse
- Location
- Athens, Georgia, US
- Tax Id
- 65-0785751
- Focus
- Ocean ecosystem repair
- Revenue
- $226,826
- Revenue Year
- 2019
- Num Volunteers
- 400
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Reef Ball Development Group was founded in 1993 by Todd Barber after he witnessed his favorite coral reef on Grand Cayman destroyed by Hurricane Gilbert. Barber and his father patented the idea of building reef substrate modules with a central inflatable bladder, making them buoyant and easy to deploy by hand or small boat. Over the next few years, with help from researchers at the University of Georgia, Nationwide Artificial Reef Coordinators, and the Florida Institute of Technology, the design was perfected. In 1997, Kathy Kirbo established The Reef Ball Foundation, Inc. as a non-profit, with original founders including Todd Barber as chairman, Kathy Kirbo as founding executive director, Larry Beggs as vice president, Eric Krasle as treasurer, and Jay Jorgensen as a charter member. In 2001, the foundation took control of the Reef Ball Development Group and operates all aspects as a non-profit. By 2007, 550,000 reef balls had been deployed worldwide. Reef balls are hollow, typically have several convex-concave holes to create whirlpools, and are made from pH-balanced microsilica concrete with a rough surface texture to promote settling by marine organisms. The foundation has expanded to include coral rescue, propagation, beach restorations, mangrove restorations, and nursery development, as well as education and outreach.
Reader's Guide
The Reef Ball Foundation is significant for pioneering designed artificial reefs that overcome problems associated with 'materials of opportunity,' such as stability in storms, durability, biological fit, and lack of pollution. Reef balls can be modified for coral reef rehabilitation, fishery enhancement, snorkeling and diving trails, beach erosion protection, surfing enhancement, fish spawning sites, mangrove replanting, lobster fisheries, oyster reefs, estuary rehabilitation, and deep water coral replanting. The foundation's projects include deployments in Antigua (4,700 modules), Malaysia (5,000 reef balls to protect sea turtle nesting islands), Campeche, Mexico (over 4,000 reef balls by local fishing communities), Tampa Bay (under docks and as breakwaters for oyster reefs), Phuket, Thailand (planted with corals after the Boxing Day Tsunami), Indonesia (mitigating mining damage), and Australia (enhancing fisheries in New South Wales). Research over the last decade has studied artificial reefs' ability to produce or attract biomass, replicate natural habitat, and mitigate disasters, including use as breakwaters and for beach stabilization. The foundation's legacy lies in its global reach—reef balls are found on every continent including Antarctica—and its integration of community training, public education, and environmental stewardship.
Did You Know?
- Reef balls are made from pH-balanced microsilica concrete and treated to create a rough surface texture.
- The foundation deployed 1,400 reef balls in Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico in 2019.
- Reef balls range in size from 0.3 to 2.5 meters in diameter and weigh 15 to 3,500 kilograms.
- Reef balls have been deployed on every continent, including Antarctica.
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