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Bad Reefers

Sinking ships, airplanes or even piles of rocks in the ocean to form aritificial reefs is a good idea. My dad, an avid SCUBA diver ...

sunkenship-1.jpg Sinking ships, airplanes or even piles of rocks in the ocean to form aritificial reefs is a good idea. My dad, an avid SCUBA diver who isn't afraid of the cold murky waters off the New Jersey coast, can talk your ear off about this. A few years ago, when New Jersey hesitated about sinking some old NYC subway cars off its coast, my dad was among those who succeeded in campaigning for the cause. Now, the Washington Post Travel section trumpets New Jersey's reef of "redbirds" as a funky, fish-filled tourist attraction.

But when it comes to artificial reefs, it's apparently not a good idea to sink any old piece of junk. Today's Sun-Sentinel notes that more than a million used tires, intentionally dumped off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale in the 1970s, now have to be cleaned up. Apparently, fish don't dig tires. Worse, storms kick the tires up on to real reefs, and cause damage. The good news: the Navy thinks retrieving the tires would be good training for its divers.

Photo via Flickr, from tiswango.

Christopher Swope was GOVERNING's executive editor.
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