What Divers Can Do

More information about the federal government's Rigs to Reefs program is at www.bsee.gov/Exploration-and-Production/Decomissioning/Rigs-to-Reefs, with links to state-specific programs in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana (the link to California's program is currently broken).

Other than contacting your state legislature, there are not many ways for divers to lend verbal or financial support for Rigs to Reefs. But the not-for-profit Coastal Conservation Association, with chapters in 17 coastal states, campaigns and seeks funding for the building of artificial reefs, including rig-to-reef projects. ( www.joincca.org/about )

Two researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography started the Rigs-to-Reefs project, diving oil platforms off the California coast and in the Gulf of Mexico to document (with GoPro Hero 3+ cameras) the ecosystems that grow on and around the platforms, and using the information they gather to help the public make informed and responsible decisions about oil rigs in the ocean. You can see their photos and support their project at www.rig2reefexploration.org