Two 3,000-pound custom fabricated steel artificial reefs will be towed and deployed off the coast of Destin on May 4 and 5, serving as underwater memorials to Navy Master Chief Master Diver Bruce Eugene Earnest and Navy Senior Chief EOD Diver Clay Simmons Hedricks, Sr.
- The reefs were fabricated by Harman Metal Arts in Panama City Beach and are designed to support marine life while serving as final resting places for fallen warriors.
The deployment off the coast of Destin follows a permitting setback in Bay County, where objections were raised regarding the permitting language, according to the Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation. Okaloosa County Natural Resources Chief Alex Fogg agreed to host the project, and the foundation said it is also preparing to launch operations in Collier County at the beginning of 2027.
“Every challenge opens a new horizon,” said Joe Theodorou, founder and president of Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation. “Thanks to Alex Fogg and Okaloosa County, these warriors will rest in some of the most beautiful waters in Florida, creating new dive sites that will draw veterans, families, and ocean enthusiasts for decades to come.”
The reefs will be towed and deployed with assistance from Dive911, North Florida Diving Services and TowBoat US, the foundation said.
A celebration of life for Hedricks will begin at 7:30 a.m. July 3 at the EOD Wall in Niceville, followed by an escorted procession to the Destin Marina. Hedricks’ son, James, will descend with Navy divers to accompany his father on a final dive and personally inter him within the reef structure during an underwater ceremony.
Both divers will receive an underwater flag ceremony, with American flags presented to their families. Similar honors will mark Earnest’s Memorial Day Celebration of Life, the foundation said.
- The foundation is encouraging community members to line the procession route and the harbor with raised flags as the families travel past. The route will be shared on social media.
On May 1, the foundation unveiled the completed reefs to donors from the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors and the Paul W. Airey American Legion Riders Post 393 of Panama City. Attendees met James Hedricks at the event.
The Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation is a volunteer-run, veteran-led nonprofit that creates custom artificial reefs as final resting places and ecological tributes for fallen military service members and first responders.
Families pay nothing for the services, and the foundation said it is expanding across Florida’s Gulf Coast.
