I received a very happy e-mail today from Gary Levine, CEO and Founder of the Atlantis Reef Project.  Gary reports that the Army Corps of Engineers has issued final approval for the project, and that the permits are in the mail.  Construction of Atlantis will begin in January of 2006!

For those of you that are not familiar with the project, Atlantis will be the largest man-made reef ever constructed, covering more than 600,000 square feet of ocean floor and using 10,000 cubic yards of cement.  The site is being billed as the first underwater theme park in the world, designed as an artificial reef with concrete statues, columns, domes and arches.

I'm personally very excited about the project and will be covering it as it develops.  And while technically it does not yet exist, I've posted Atlantis as a dive spot in order to provide GPS coordinates, maps, and news updates for the project.  This will be a great diving attraction and it will be right in my backyard!  The site is sure to attract and nurture pelagic life of all kinds. The site will be a no-take zone and will have mooring buoys making it a boat-friendly destination.

On a somewhat different, yet related topic, Willy Volk of Divester will be reporting tomorrow on another Atlantis project (not in any way connected to the Miami Atlantis Project) underway in Cayman Brac.  Check out his Friday is Foots-Day post on Divester.

In Miami?  Stop by Cafe Mystique this Thursday evening, December 1st, and attend the inaugural meeting of the "Night of the Ocean Realm".  Hosted by Ken English of Ocean Realm Online, this organizational meeting will feature a presentation by the Atlantis Reef Project, along with updates on the first conference on Underwater ART and Miami-Dade's Artificial Reef Program. Come learn more about current and future plans for Miami's artificial reef program, and find out how you can get involved. 

Meet Gary Levine and Kim Brandell of the Atlantis Reef Project, a recreational dive site, memorial garden, and environmentally-oriented research area that will be built in less than 50 feet of water in the Key Biscayne Special Management Zone.

Hear from Miami-Dade County's Department of Environment Resources Management (DERM) regarding current and future plans of underwater Miami, including an update on the mooring buoys.

Ken English will outline the first Conference on Underwater ART, planned for May 5th, 2006 on the 6th Anniversary of the Jose Cuervo Artificial Reef.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 PM.  Cafe Mystique is located at 7250 NW 11 Street, adjacent to the Days Inn hotel. Exit 836 at 72nd Avenue.  Stop by and show your support.

Post a review for any dive spot listed on DiveSpots.com, or submit a qualifying photo for any dive spot listed on DiveSpots.com, anytime between Thanksgiving and December 31st 2005, and you'll be automatically entered into our end-of-year raffle! You could win an Apple iPod, a two-tank dive with a local dive shop, a DiveSpots.com T-shirt, and more.

To submit a review for a dive spot, simply click the "Reviews" tab on the main spot page.  Click the "Reviw This Spot" that appears on that page.  

To submit a photo for a dive spot, simply click the "Photos" tab on the main spot page.  Click the "Submit Your Photo" button that appears on the page. 

To submit a review or post a photo, you must be a registered member of the site.  Of course, membership is free! 

The Fine Print: All submissions will be reviewed for content and substance.  DiveSpots.com reserves the right to edit and/or delete submissions.  Winners will be notified by e-mail using the address listed in their DiveSpots.com profile.   DiveSpots.com reserves the right to alter or discontinue this contest at any time.