Underneath the surface of South Carolina’s lakes you’ll find a variety of unusual stuff. From underwater ghost towns to entire airplanes and cemeteries, the lakes are a playground for divers – and the out-of-place materials provide a 24-hour, bottomless buffet for the fish living in the lakes. But most people don’t really consider what’s hiding underwater at the beach, or do we? One of the many roles of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is to manage the marine artificial reefs on the coast of the Palmetto State. And you may be surprised at what’s hiding under the water along our shore.

The SCDNR creates artificial reefs out of whatever suitable material they can find.
SCDNR-Marine Resources Division
Flickr/U.S. Army Environmental Command
And yes, there are many Army tanks and armored personnel carriers down there (among other things, but we'll get to that...). The first photo above shows just how important those tanks are to the marine life along our coast. Most of the 187 miles of coast in South Carolina has a continental shelf that's nothing by several feet of sand deep; meaning, there is nothing for the start of the fish food chain to grow upon.

How many Army tanks and APC units are there off the coast? The SCDNR's Saltwater Fishing Guide to Marine Artificial Reefs lists 5 locations along the coast where multiple units have been placed, including off the coast of Little River, Murrells Inlet, Winyah Bay (Georgetown), Charleston, and just north of Edisto Island. But that's not all that the reefs along the coast are hiding. How about New York City Transit subway cars?
Yes, those are hiding along the coast of South Carolina too!
Flickr/ J Biochemist

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SCDNR-Marine Resources Division
The image above, obtained from the same SCDNR report, shows those NYC subway cars being offloaded into their new permanent home protecting and providing shelter for the many fish that call the waters along our coast home. The subway cars can be found in reefs near Little River, Winyah Bay (Georgetown) and Charleston.
Over time, the artificial reefs become feeding grounds.
Flickr/FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Without them, our off-shore fishing industry would not exist in the manner in which it does today. No food equals no fish.
The artificial reefs along the coast of South Carolina are comprised of huge and surprising objects.
SCDNR-Marine Resources Division
Among them, several locations where used shipping containers have been submerged. That comes as no surprise, however, there are 57 barges ranging in length from 20 feet to 310 feet, as well as several ships more than 300-feet long. There is even an airplane. See the entire list at this link.
The following map shows the locations of the artificial reefs. The map is not intended for navigational use. There are more detailed location maps contained within the report linked above.
SCDNR-Marine Resources Division

Are you surprised by all the repurposed materials found underwater just off the coast of South Carolina? Do you know of other underwater wonders hiding in South Carolina? We’d love to know!

Curious about other man-made wonders in South Carolina? Check out this previous article.

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