Reef Smart

🚢 Exploring the YDT-14 and the vibrant 'invader' colonizing it!
We just finished mapping the YDT-14 wreck in Pensacola, Florida, as part of our exciting new partnership with Visit Pensacola. You can explore the wreck in 3D here: https://reefsmartguides.com/ydt-14/

The level of detail is incredible—wait until you see the wheelhouse! It’s completely covered in vibrant Orange Cup Corals. While they look stunning on our photogrammetric model, these corals are actually an invasive species. You can learn more about why these coral are moving in by visiting the Species Guides section of our website here: https://reefsmartguides.com/orange-cup-coral/

There are over 200 additional species profiles available for free on our website. We’re heavy on Western Atlantic IDs but adding Pacific species fast. Tag your favorite dive buddy who needs a better ID guide! 🤿👇

Putting Miami on the Map: The Future of Collaborative 3D Modeling ⚓

We are thrilled to be featured in DeeperBlue.com! The article by Nola Schoder highlights our latest mission: a pilot project in Miami-Dade County designed to test how trained recreational divers can help scale 3D shipwreck documentation.

Working alongside Miami Dade Reef Guard Association, we’ve spent the last several months creating high-resolution "digital twins" of iconic sites like the Biscayne, Proteus, and Paraiso. These aren’t just beautiful renderings; they are vital time-stamped snapshots for research, conservation, and diver safety.

As our co-founder Ian Popple notes in the article, Miami was a "missing puzzle piece" in our mapping of Florida. By empowering local divers to collect high-quality data, we are creating a collaborative model that can scale to wrecks worldwide. Looking forward to sharing more about this concept soon!

Read the full feature here: https://www.deeperblue.com/preserving-wrecks-in-3d/

A massive shout-out to Squalo Divers, Ace Diving, and #’s Diver's Paradise Miami for the support! 🚤⚓

Which Miami wreck should we map next? Let us know below! 👇

Preserving Wrecks In 3D: How Reef Smart Guides Is Mapping Underwater Legacy - DeeperBlue.com Reef Smart Guides is testing how everyday divers can help digitally preserve wrecks by turning recreational wreck dives into data and living archives.

🤿 Miami’s iconic wreck dives just went 3D!

Ever wondered what it’s like to swim through the DEMA Trader or explore the Army Tanks off the coast of Miami Beach? Now you can—without even getting wet.

As part of our collaboration with the Miami Dade Reef Guard Association, Diver's Paradise Miami, Ace Diving, and Squalo Divers, Reef Smart Guides has officially released 3D interactive maps for some of Miami’s most popular wreck dives.

What’s New:
✅ Interactive 3D Models: Explore the Tortuga, Proteus, and more on our website [here].
✅ Waterproof Handheld Cards: available for purchase online ultimate to help guide you on your next dive [here].
✅ Local Training: We’ve trained a team of Miami divers to keep this data-mapping project moving forward!
Learn more and browse the Miami Collection here: https://reefsmartguides.com/miamis-premier-wreck-sites-now-live-in-3d/

Miami’s Premier Wreck Sites Now Live in 3D - Reef Smart Guides For the first time, Miami’s underwater environment is accessible for everyone to explore - divers and non-divers alike - through your mobile device, computer and as physical waterproof cards.

A "Game-Changer" for Pensacola’s artificial reefs! 🚐💨

The Reef Smart team is back in Northwest Florida this week, for three days of intensive mapping with our new partners at Visit Pensacola.

Together, we’ll be mapping the Russian Freighter, YTD14, Pete Tide II, Ocean Wind, and the Joe Patti Memorial Reef in full photogrammetry, giving divers a 360-degree perspective of each site before hitting the water.

The crown jewel of the trip? We’re creating a photogrammetric 3D model of the USS Oriskany’s "Island" (the tower)—the highest point of the world’s largest artificial reef! 🚢⚓️ Explore the "Great Carrier Reef" like never before! 🦈📱

📍 Start exploring the region today through our Northwest Florida dive guide: https://amzn.to/3ZIg0w1

Thanks to Southern Vacation Rentals for the stunning accommodation.

Dead men tell no tales, but our maps sure do! 🏴‍☠️⚓️
We couldn't be more excited about the sinking of this 97-foot prop ship from Pirates of the Caribbean in Panama City Beach. Looking forward to 3D mapping this great new artificial reef in the future.
This site will be a perfect companion to our existing Bay County maps like the SS Tarpon, Black Bart, and Accokeek.
📍 Want to explore the sites we've already mapped in the area? Check out our Northwest Florida Guidebook on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/3ZIg0w1

The 97-foot prop ship from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest has been sunk off Florida’s Emerald Coast and transformed into a brand-new artificial reef. Sitting in 75 feet of water near Panama City Beach, the wreck is already becoming a home for marine life, and a pretty epic playground for divers.

Even better, local welding students added pirate-style details like a captain’s wheel, treasure chest, and a proper Jolly Roger to bring the whole scene to life underwater. 🏴‍☠️

A movie prop turned reef habitat and dive site? That’s a pretty cool second act.

Hit the link below to read the full story.

http://padi.co/0xah97kr

🖊 Melissa Smith
📸 Visit Panama City Beach

Enhancing the guest experience starts before they enter the water. 🏝️

For resorts, dive centers, tourism operators and tourism authorities, providing clear, professional information is key to safety and environmental stewardship.

Reef Smart Guides' Weatherproof Shoreline Signage offers a unique way to showcase your aquatic assets and guesswork out of diving and snorkeling.

Using our proprietary 3D mapping data, we create large-format, UV-resistant vinyl signs that:
🔹 Improve in-water safety by identifying hazards and entry points.
🔹 Educate visitors on local marine ecosystems and the creature they may see.
🔹 Increase the value of "house reefs" for resorts.

These signs are a cost-effective, durable solution for any destination looking to stand out as a premier diving or snorkeling hub. We can custom-brand your sign, print at any size and ship worldwide.

Learn more about our signage solutions: https://reefsmartguides.com/product-menu/shoreline-signage/

Our Curaçao buddies at Dive Curacao The Dive Bus, Curacao and Dive Center Pietermaai are doing great things at the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show this weekend! There's still time to get down there and discover why Curaçao was named the Best Caribbean Island to Visit in 2026 by USA TODAY in their Readers’ Choice Awards AND the best dive destination at the 2026 Caribbean Travel Awards, presented annually by Caribbean Journal.

Reef Smart created the definitive dive guide for the island in 2023, detailing 95 of the island’s unique underwater sites, such as Tugboat, Director’s Bay, Playa Marie Pampeon and Superior Producer. Purchase a copy on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4gKjKDy

If you dropped Mount Everest into the ocean, it would DROWN!

Did you know that the Earth’s highest peak is actually smaller than its deepest trench?
• Mount Everest: 29,031 ft (8,848 m) ⛰️
• Mariana Trench: 36,037 ft (10,984 m) 🕳️

If you tucked Everest into Challenger Deep (the deepest known point on our planet), there would still be over 1.2 MILES of water above its summit. 🤯

While thousands of climbers have stood on top of Everest, only a handful of people in human history have ever touched the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Down there, the pressure is a crushing 15,750 psi—that’s like having an elephant stand on your thumb!🐘

📖 Want to dive deeper into the science of our oceans? This incredible insight comes from BENEATH THE BLUE PLANET by Dr. Alex Brylske, published by Reef Smart Guides. This book is the ultimate guide for those who want to delve into the world of marine ecology and conservation.

Link below to purchase on Amazon! 👇
https://amzn.to/45VuREG

Ever go diving in a time capsule? 🕰️💙🌊

In the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, the reefs aren't just made of coral—they’re paved with history. Specifically, thousands of 1940s Coke, Pepsi, beer and wine bottles!

During the Second World War, Aore Island was home to the ‘Fleet Recreation Center’ where U.S. troops would head for some much needed R&R. They would often sit on the white sand beaches, enjoying a cold drink, and then toss the empties into the water.

80 years later, these vintage Coke, Pepsi, beer and wine bottles – the litter of the 1940s – have become today’s treasure for divers.

At sites like Million Dollar Point, you can walk the shore and discover these bottles literally cemented into the reef.

Reef Smart Guides has created five 3D maps to promote diving in Vanuatu featuring the island’s most iconic sites, which you can explore for FREE on our website.

Click here to learn more, see additional images and explore the sites: https://reefsmartguides.com/ever-go-diving-in-a-time-capsule/


Tourism in Vanuatu Vanuatu Tourism Office Pacific Dive Allan Power Dive Tours

The Reef Smart team has been busy processing the massive amount of data gathered from our recent mapping trip to Vanuatu in the beautiful South Pacific. There are very few dive destinations that come close to the pristine reefs and incredible biodiversity found in this region.

Check out the MV Henry Bonneaud, one of the rare deliberately sunk artificial reefs off the coast of Espiritu Santo. The Bonneaud was originally a 147-foot (45-meter) island freighter. It was sunk by the owner of the Bokissa Resort, which was located nearby.
The wreck sits upright on a sandy slope, pointing away from shore, with its shallowest point at the stern at a depth of 99 feet (30 meters). The bow, which has broken off from the main body of the wreck, rests on its port side down slope at a maximum depth of 159 feet (48.5 meters).

The forward portion of the mid-ship holds have collapsed, but the aft portion remains largely intact. The visibility is often incredible here although the currents can be strong at times as water passes through the channel between the islands of the archipelago. The wreck supports a heavy covering of healthy corals as well as plenty of marine life.

Divers may encounter schooling batfish, bannerfish, starry puffers, oriental sweetlips, red snapper and green sea turtles.

Explore our 3D model online, here:
https://reefsmartguides.com/mv-henry-bonneaud/

Pacific Dive Tourism in Vanuatu Vanuatu Tourism Office Corporate Espiritu Santo & amazing islands of Vanuatu

Our 3D wreck models have been taken to the next level!

We’re really excited about Shipwreck Discovery – the new Virtual Reality game that allows you to take a dive on our wrecks, with breathtaking realism. It’s the closest you’ll get to wreck diving, without getting wet!

The new game was unveiled at the DEMA Show in Orlando last month and is now officially live on Steam and coming soon to Meta! It incorporates cutting-edge technology that recreates our 3D models as authentic full-scale underwater habitats, allowing users to explore and interact with the structures as if they were truly beneath the waves.

The game also features realistic diving mechanics, gauges, compass, a dive computer, depth tracking, bottom time monitoring, and even a dive log entry for each dive. With customizable conditions, players can simulate virtually any diving scenario, making it an excellent training tool for divers and an immersive adventure for gamers.

Seven of our shipwrecks off the coast of Destin, Florida, have already been integrated into the game, including: Miss Nellie, Big Dawg, Monika Lee, Miss Joann, Atlantis, Brannon and Dylan. Many more are planned for 2026. The coming year will also see the incorporation of lionfish hunting and exploration using the Dive Xtras Blacktip DPV, just like we use for our 3D mapping work at Reef Smart. Dive Xtras Destin-Fort Walton Beach Natural Resources

Learn more at: https://shipwreckdiscovery.com/