Fish Reef Project Drops ‘Sea Caves’ into Ocean Waters off Goleta Coast

Wednesday’s Deployment Marked Official Beginning of Nonprofit’s Five-Year Goleta Kelp Reef Restoration Project

The first sea cave being lowered into the water. | Credit: Callie Fausey

Fish Reef Project founder Chris Goldblatt | Credit: Courtesy

Wednesday morning’s clear skies and smooth waters were perfect for ferrying 15 huge concrete domes, or “Sea Caves,” to the bay off Goleta Beach and then dumping them overboard.

These 500-pound structures acted as deck seats for our trip from Santa Barbara Harbor, but once we arrived at our destination, they were ready to settle on the seafloor and fulfill their true purpose: creating the foundation for a new kelp forest and artificial reef system.

The caves’ deployment was the realization of a long-held dream and 12 years of hard work on behalf of the Fish Reef Project, a Santa Barbara–based nonprofit aiming to replenish depleted underwater habitats on the Central Coast and around the world. It marked the official beginning of the nonprofit’s five-year Goleta Kelp Reef Restoration Project.

To make the project a reality, Chris Goldblatt, Fish Reef’s founder, had to secure a giant stack of permits from various state and federal departments (he showed me), get a lease from State Lands for the deployment area, and put together roughly $300,000 in funds.

There were a few hiccups getting the caves into California from their factory in Mexico and a few more getting them into a cluster on the bay’s sandy bottom. However, they did eventually find their place. Goldblatt and the project’s other pioneers looked on with pride as each cave was lowered 15 feet into the lapping blue waters.

Each of the caves are around 500 pounds, and had to be loaded and unloaded from the boat using a crane. | Credit: Courtesy
The team had to set out early Wednesday morning for the roughly 6-hour deployment. | Credit: Courtesy
The Fish Reef team and 15 sea caves made the trip out to Goleta Bay for deployment on Wednesday. | Credit: Patrick Wayand
One by one, the caves were lowered into the bay by the Danny C’s crew. | Credit: Callie Fausey
The Sea Caves’ features are designed to promote kelp growth and provide shelter for fish. | Credit: Patrick Wayand
The Fish Reef team. Back row: Patrick Wayand, Tony Huerta. Center (L-R): Charlie Johnson, Chris Goldblatt, Amy Stephens. Front: Lonnie Nelson. | Credit: Courtesy
The Danny C transported and deployed the sea caves, which were marked with bobbers floating on the water’s surface. | Credit: Courtesy
Fish Reef’s dive team tagged along on a separate boat to make sure the caves were well-positioned after the Danny C left. | Credit: Courtesy

Designed with flat surfaces for kelp holdfasts and inner chambers for fish habitat, the concrete structures create a dynamic cave system for fish to populate and reproduce. After a few years, Goldblatt believes the caves will look and act entirely natural, with the potential to support giant kelp growth and their fishy residents for up to 500 years.

They hope to see budding kelp by this July, Goldblatt said.

If all goes well, Fish Reef plans to try to expand to a 65-acre project — retaining the study reef as a starting point — to help replenish the Central Coast’s now-depleted kelp forest that once extended from El Capitan to Rincon Point.

To celebrate the caves’ deployment, Fish Reef Project will be hosting a public fundraising event on Friday, April 12, 5-9 p.m. at Baja Sharkeez, 525 State Street.