The ReefLine: Miami’s Underwater Art Park

By Angela Caraway-Carlton 

Art is going deep in Miami Beach. Step outside of the traditional art gallery on land and slip on your snorkel mask and fins to swim The ReefLine, an environmental art activation that will soon adorn the ocean floor in Miami Beach. Located 600 feet offshore, the new underwater public sculpture park will stretch seven miles beginning at 4th Street in South Beach and running north along the coastline of Surfside and Bal Harbour. It’s more than a snorkel trail; the submerged artwork also doubles as an artificial reef meant to create much-needed habitats for marine life. Whether you’re an art lover or a water enthusiast, get ready to take the plunge when The ReefLine opens in phases beginning October 2025.

See Reefline being deployed

The launch event takes place Tuesday, October 21 at 1 p.m. on the beach between 4th and 5th streets, marking the historic first deployment of the project.

What You Can Expect To See

Expect to view artwork by renowned artists from around the globe, which will be unveiled in several phases. This October, The Reefline will unveil its first installation by Argentinian conceptual artist Leandro Erlich’s “Concrete Coral,” which is a new version of his expansive sand installation portraying a 60+ car traffic jam that was on view on the beach during Miami Art Week in 2019. Now, a similar traffic jam of 22 cars and trucks will congregate on the ocean floor, symbolizing the emissions that threaten our planet (and hopefully, sparking environmental awareness and change). The installation will be submerged 15-20 feet underwater at 4th street, doubling as a vital habitat for coral growth. Using Coral Lok, a patented attachment system, live corals are seeded onto the cars to fast-track reef development, transforming symbols of emissions into catalysts for regeneration.

Another eye-catching module that’s sure to be a heavenly underwater home for marine life will be British artist Petroc Sesti’s giant sculpture called “Heart of Okeanos,” which mimics the heart of a stranded blue whale. Also, Miami-based artist Carlos Betancourt will create a trail of large-scale starfish titled “Miami Reef Star” that will sprinkle the entirety of The ReefLine. It’s based upon a childhood memory of experiencing a starfish migration while snorkeling in Puerto Rico.

Swim The ReefLine’s Art Crawl

Think of it as an underwater art crawl. No boat or bulky scuba gear is needed – you can simply swim out from the shore to see and interact with the submerged sculptures that line the trail. Much of the artwork raises awareness of the delicate marine ecosystem and often presents a thought-provoking call to action for sustainability. The ReefLine not only offers a free and accessible way for the public to view art, but it presents the chance for snorkelers to experience Miami’s rich array of sea life, from colorful fish to sea turtles.

The ReefLine’s Purpose

The ReefLine intermingles art, science and conservation, and ultimately uses art as a tool for change. In recent years, coral has become bleached or has died off, which is largely attributed to global warming. To combat these destructive changes in the ocean, artists have created sculptures made of environmentally friendly materials that aim to support coral growth and create new habitats for marine life. “We are rebuilding what was there,” says Ximena Caminos, “and providing a platform for nature to thrive.”

A Deep Dive Into The ReefLine’s Masterplan

The ReefLine was imagined by Ximena Caminos, a Miami resident who is a champion for out-of-the-box arts and culture as well as a big supporter of organizations that promote ocean conservation and fight climate change. (Caminos was also the artistic planner behind The Underline, a 10-mile park and urban trail that weaves below the tracks of the Metrorail.)

Recognizing the need to replenish and protect Miami Beach’s all-important coral reefs and marine ecosystem that are dying or disappearing due to unprecedented warmer waters, Caminos came up with a brilliant idea: drop artificial reefs that double as art along the ocean floor. She teamed up with marine biologist Colin Foord, the founder of Coral Morphologic, and they submitted a grant proposal for the Knight Foundation Arts Challenge Award. In 2019, their creative idea won the seed money needed to bring the project to life underwater.

It takes a village to create a seven-mile underwater sculpture park, and the visionaries collaborated with the City of Miami Beach and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), among others, to craft The ReefLine master plan.

Expect to have a different experience each time you dive under the water. You never know what marine friends will be taking their own art walk.

Source: https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/travel-interests/green-miami/the-reefline