Our History
In 1982, a Tallahassee-based group of marine enthusiasts, including anglers, divers, and marine biologists, began meeting regularly in the home of George M. Smith. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Smith was a chemist working for the Florida Department of Agriculture at the time.
An avid saltwater angler and trained diver, Smith had become an ardent supporter of artificial reefs. Among the early members of the group Smith assembled was Gregg Stanton, a well-known professional diver and dive trainer out of FSU who had helped lead several successful reef-building projects in Apalachee Bay.
By 1985, the group had a name, The Organization for Artificial Reefs an inspiration by one of the group’s first committee members, Joel Woodman. That early committee included Smith, Woodman, Paul Johnson, Carol Marchner, Debbie Pooser, and Frank Stephenson. Formal incorporation soon followed, and OAR was soon granted a non-profit 501(c)3 status by the IRS.
Since then, OAR has grown into a highly respected reef-building enterprise that has contributed immensely to the Big Bend’s marine ecosystem and saltwater recreational industry and to other similarly minded reef-building groups on the Big Bend coast. In particular, OAR served as a major model for the creation of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association (MBARA) and has helped fund several MBARA reef projects over the years. More recently, OAR also helped volunteers in Apalachicola establish the Apalachicola Artificial Reef Association.
Remarkably, OAR’s accomplishments remain a solid testament to volunteerism. From its inception, OAR has relied on the hard, selfless work of dozens of dedicated individuals who have donated their time and talents in grants-writing, fund-raising, promotions, public relations, and special events coordination to the central mission of building permanent reefs throughout the Big Bend Gulf.