Panama City Beach (April 25, 2024)- Man in the Sea, in partnership with Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation, will deploy the “Military Divers Memorial” artificial reef on April 30th (weather permitting). The deployment of the memorial will take place off of the coast of Panama City Beach, FL, and will provide future underwater burials sites to military divers. The ”Military Divers Memorial” will symbolize the final resting place for these fallen warriors, while honoring the past and restoring future ecosystems for the Emerald Coast.
The beautiful “Military Divers Memorial” is the brainchild of Man in the Sea Director, Steve Mulholland, who couldn’t be happier to see his project finally come to fruition. Made of concrete, steel, stainless steels, alloy metals and brass, the memorial weighs approximately 1300 pounds, and stands at a height of 5 feet. The top of the memorial has a brass Mark V diver’s helmet affixed to a column. At the base of the column, a brass plaque reads, “Dedicated to the brave military divers that have served this great country.”
“Steve reached out to Warriors Memorial Reefs Foundation to assist with the logistics of executing the deployment of the Military Divers Memorial. We were very honored to support this great opportunity for the Military Diving Community, to continue to honor these great warriors. However, permitting for deployment of artificial reefs can be challenging, but with the assistance of Chantille Weber, Bay County’s Coastal Resource Coordinator, she simplified the process and was able to meet our tight timeframe opportunity. So, we really would like to thank her for that.” said Joe Theodorou Founder and President of Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation.
The deployment of the Military Divers Memorial comes at an exciting time for both Man in the Sea and Warrior Memorial Reefs Foundation, who have recently partnered to help both 501(c)(3) benefit the Active/ Veteran Dive Community. This is the first of many future deployments
