A LEGACY THAT LIVES UNDERWATER
Some reefs are built out of money, politics, and PR.
But every once in a while, one’s built out of love—and concrete.
Off the coast of Alabama, where the Gulf still breathes heavy from storms and red snapper rise from the dark, a new reef now lives and grows. It’s called Benny’s Reef, and it’s more than just another pile of concrete at the bottom—it’s a living tribute to a man whose love for the ocean ran deep enough to outlive him.
FROM A PHONE CALL TO A MISSION
It started back in 2018.
CCA Alabama got a call from Forterra Pipe—a yard was closing, and hundreds of tons of heavy concrete pipe and culvert material were about to be scrapped. Instead of letting it all get chewed up by machines, Forterra made an offer: you can have it, but you’ve got 30 days to move it.
Challenge accepted.
CCA Alabama fired up a plan overnight—trucks rolling, cranes swinging, sweat flying. Over two relentless days, 350 tons of solid concrete was hauled to the Alabama Marine Resources Material Yard in Gulf Shores. It sat there, waiting. Like good structure always does.
And now, after eight long years of patience, planning, and persistence, that old pile has found its forever home beneath the Gulf.
BENNY’S REEF TAKES SHAPE
In late August, Walter Marine LLC (Reefmaker) loaded up 310 tons of that concrete and dropped it into the blue within the CCA Alabama Reef Zone, forming what’s now known as Benny’s Reef.
Three mounds, each rising roughly 25 feet off the bottom, stitched together in 60 feet of water—new towers of life in the deep.
But this reef isn’t just about marine biology.
It’s about Ben LaSalle—a man who loved the water enough to make sure others could keep fishing it long after he was gone. Through his estate, Ben left behind funds to fuel artificial reef projects in both Alabama and Maryland, ensuring his passion kept feeding fish and fueling stories.
A FAMILY, A LEGACY, AND A SEA FULL OF LIFE
When it came time for the drop, family and friends climbed aboard FASTO, a vessel donated for the day by Matthew Sayers of Orange Beach. They watched the crane swing, listened to the water swallow the first sections of concrete, and said their goodbyes—not in silence, but in stories.
Every reef has a name, but only a few have a heartbeat.
Benny’s Reef does.
The coordinates will soon be public at OutdoorAlabama.com, joining the 14,000-plus artificial reefs that make Alabama a true powerhouse in habitat restoration. And while those numbers are impressive, it’s the spirit behind this one that hits different.
THE GULF DOESN’T FORGET
Someday soon, red snapper will cruise the towers.
Amberjack will claim the high ground.
Grouper will settle into the cracks.
And somewhere in the blue shadows, the Gulf will whisper a thank you—to Ben LaSalle, and to every person who turns loss into life.
Because out here, that’s the kind of legacy that never sinks.