The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a $138,000 contract with Coleen Marine, Inc. on Tuesday for the clean-up, preparation, towing, and deployment of two donated vessels as artificial reefs.
- The project aims to enhance the county’s status as a premier fishing and diving destination in Florida.
According to Okaloosa County Natural Resources Chief Alex Fogg, the county was approached in early April 2024 with the donation of two former scuba dive liveaboards, measuring 80ft and 75ft. The vessels, known as NEKTON PILOT and NEKTON RORQUAL, were built in 1992 and 2001 respectively.
“Partnerships like this cannot be recognized enough,” explained Fogg. “This is what makes our destination so special and is continuing to make waves in the fishing and diving community.”
John Dixon, the designer and builder of the vessels, provided extensive insight into their history and significance.
“The NEKTON PILOT was built in Palatka, Florida, and delivered in 1992. The NEKTON RORQUAL was built in Port St. Joe, Florida, in 2001,” Dixon said. “The vessels had 16 cabins with private baths and showers able to accommodate 32 passengers with 12 crew.”
- He explained that the vessels were purpose-built for week-long scuba diving cruises and featured a unique “no sea-sick” technology called SWATH (small-waterplane-area-twin-hull) for enhanced stability.
The vessels operated successfully until April 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster forced the cessation of scuba cruises. Dixon described the decision to repurpose the vessels as “bittersweet,” stating, “Sorry to see the vessels not get back into operation after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe but happy they can find new life helping the ocean environment.”
Dixon explained the process that led to the donation: “Being based in Port St. Joe, Florida, we first communicated with Bob and Carol Cox of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association (MBARA) who, because of the size and scale of the Nekton vessels, connected us to Alex Fogg and the Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Program.”
The vessels were mostly gutted, cleaned, and in the process of being scrapped when the option for reefing became available. After a site visit and discussions with Dixon, the county decided to receive the vessels and issue an invitation to bid for the remaining tasks.
The Invitation to Bid, which opened on April 29, 2024, received three responses. Coleen Marine, Inc. was selected after a review by the Purchasing and the Tourist and Development Department.
Dixon believes these vessels are uniquely suited for artificial reefs. “Three unique attributes make this a wonderful artificial reef installation,” he stated. “First, the unique properties of the steel lower hulls make them ideal for reef building. Second, the large open upper aluminum superstructures are ideal for visits by scuba divers. Third and finally, the unique history of both ships serving scuba divers on week-long cruises for decades will create a pilgrimage for thousands of past Nekton cruise guests.”
- The artificial reef project is expected to significantly positively impact the local marine ecosystem. According to Dixon, “The structures of these two vessels will provide homes and habitat to a huge population of fish and marine organisms.”
Fogg emphasized that artificial reef deployments like this contribute to the improvement of Destin-Fort Walton Beach’s reputation as a top fishing and diving destination in Florida.
“Seeing these Nekton vessels become artificial reefs really is fitting,” added Fogg. “From once being the platform that allowed so many divers to be able to explore our oceans to now being the site for these explorations is amazing.”
The project represents a new chapter for the NEKTON vessels, transforming them from scuba liveaboards to vital components of Okaloosa County’s marine habitat enhancement efforts.
“Every single diver who ever went out on one of these Nekton vessels experienced special moments with fish and turtles and dolphins and coral reefs under the sea,” Dixon reminisced. “These divers are Americans who understand how precious our oceans are and appreciate protection efforts like the Okaloosa County artificial reef program.”
7 Responses
So the big question that goes unanswered in the article… WHEN? When are these vessels scheduled to be sunk? Or am I just now catching an old story?
In the next few weeks! We are in the process of cleaning and stripping the vessels be. They should be sunk by the end of August if not sooner!
Bittersweet memories for me as I Captained the Nekton Roqual for a bit and while it hurts to see the ships going away it is good that will continue to serve divers in a different capacity.
Great times and memories. Had the opportunities to travel and dive on both vessels with a group of co-workers out of Ft Lauderdale and the Cayman Islands. Some of the best times of my life. Hope to see them again.
I was the engineer on the pilot, it would be cool to get some of the former crew together and dive on it
This is bittersweet. I spent a wonderful week in Cay Sal Banks on the Pilot in 2006. I will have to go pay her a visit soon….
I worked on the Pilot as an instrutor/divemaster for 3 weeks. The captain was awful. He had an 18 year old girlfriend that didn’t pull her weight on board. He was a grouch and yelled a lot. His poor decisions caused delay in getting passengers in Belize after our drydock.
Crew quarters were cramped, dirty and not maintained. No adder to top bunk, celing tiles missing, closet about 18 inches wide for 2 people. No uniforms. No training was done for crew members. Scuba gear was old and tanks well put of certification. They took us off the boat and hired with proper certification to pass the coast guard inspection.
If I still dove, I’d love to see it underwater.