Coral rocks under water on Satellite Beach (Melbourne, Melbourne Beach: oceanfront, condos)

[buenos]

I usually go to Melbourne beach or Indialantic. They felt like normal beaches, lot of fun.
But today I decided to try Satellite beach and the one at Patrick AFB. What I found was there were massive coral rocks on the floor, about 20ft from the shoreline. These were like sharp cliffs or large rocks about 1-2ft height form the sandy bottom, where the water was also 2-4ft height. I almost broke my leg.
Are these rock formations always there, or seasonal, or occasional? Are they limited to Satellite Beach? If I go to Melbourne Beach now, would they have the same? Indialantic didn't have that 2 weeks ago.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by buenos

I usually go to Melbourne beach or Indialantic. They felt like normal beaches, lot of fun.
But today I decided to try Satellite beach and the one at Patrick AFB. What I found was there were massive coral rocks on the floor, about 20ft from the shoreline. These were like sharp cliffs or large rocks about 1-2ft height form the sandy bottom, where the water was also 2-4ft height. I almost broke my leg.
Are these rock formations always there, or seasonal, or occasional? Are they limited to Satellite Beach? If I go to Melbourne Beach now, would they have the same? Indialantic didn't have that 2 weeks ago.

Um You do realize that you are talking about the reef that runs right along the shore of the county, right? It is beautiful during low tides when more of the reef shows. Unfortunately some idiots decided it needs to be covered with sand so tourists can have a wider beach behind the hotels. They have dropped concrete out farther to form a fake reef for the animals that are in the reef to move to if they aren't killed by the sand. The concrete could actually be a hazard to wind surfers etc. if they are thrown to the bottom by big waves.

The reef is beautiful at low tide. You may see lots of creatures in the water and even different types of shore birds.

The reef is closest to the shore North of Indialantic, but by the time you get to Picnic Tables at Patrick ithe shore is only sand again


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dScSs09D88

[buenos]

So it was always like this? Or the sand was just recently washed off it?
I was at high tower and hangar beach parks today.
I thought it was dead reef, it looked like it. I saw alive reef on snorkeling trips at FL keys and hawaii.
It is really dangerous get into the water, people can break their legs as they are balancing on/between the reef when waves are coming.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by buenos

So it was always like this? Or the sand was just recently washed off it?
I was at high tower and hangar beach parks today.
I thought it was dead reef, it looked like it. I saw alive reef on snorkeling trips at FL keys and hawaii.
It is really dangerous get into the water, people can break their legs as they are balancing on/between the reef when waves are coming.

It is a natural reef that has been there forever. It is not dead. Obviously you can't really snorkel because most of it is right in the shore break. True you can get scraped on the rocks so you walk carefully. Usually we use that area at the dog park and just go to walk and find sea glass. We love Hightower and Canova Beaches because of the reef. If we want to swim or walk in the water we go to another beach where it is all sand.

When the tide is out and the reef is exposed it is really cool to walk out on it. It is pretty when the waves come over it and forms little 3 second waterfalls. It is cool when the water is filled with little fish, crabs, etc. And the green on the rocks makes for really beautiful pictures with the contrast of the water.

edit....I should have added that sand has been brought in to cover the reef before but now they plan on 4-6 feet of sand to completely change the shoreline and destroy the reef. Whenever they have brought in sand-usually after a hurricane, it washes away with the next tropical storm. Nature wins every time.

[Gypsy3n8]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

now they plan on 4-6 feet of sand to completely change the shoreline and destroy the reef.

WHY?! That's absurd, especially when reefs around the world are dying because of pollution, to kill a healthy reef just for tourists to have another sandy beach.

[gatorlyn]

Rabflmom explained it well

These wormrock reef stretches between 2nd Light Beach at Patrick Space Force Base and Paradise Beach Park (Futch Memorial) at Indialantic.

Outside of that you are good to go for Sandy Bottoms

[1insider]

Originally Posted by Gypsy3n8

WHY?! That's absurd, especially when reefs around the world are dying because of pollution, to kill a healthy reef just for tourists to have another sandy beach.

The rock itself is not alive and it's been buried before by previous sand restoration. There is a related ecosystem of invertebrates and fish and the occasional soft coral but the rock itself is not alive. They aren't pumping the sand for tourists. They are doing it to keep the oceanfront structures from falling into the ocean. It's just a matter of time until they realize it's a fool's mission to keep putting a bandaid on the beach. BTW, the rocks have been especially exposed recently because of the super moon low tides.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by 1insider

The rock itself is not alive and it's been buried before by previous sand restoration. There is a related ecosystem of invertebrates and fish and the occasional soft coral but the rock itself is not alive. They aren't pumping the sand for tourists. They are doing it to keep the oceanfront structures from falling into the ocean. It's just a matter of time until they realize it's a fool's mission to keep putting a bandaid on the beach. BTW, the rocks have been especially exposed recently because of the super moon low tides.

Instead there should be a ban on building too close to the dune. You don't see the correlation to the fact that before they shored up the dunes and maybe covered the closest rocks to the dunes with a few feet of sand, but with the more expensive corporate hotels and condos being there they are getting rid of the reef completely? The hotels don't want to deal with tourists that get scraped up and blame them or choose to stay elsewhere because of the reef. . Locals have always loved the reef and most of us have spent years enjoying them and hate to see them cover it.


Of course rocks are not alive but what attaches to them and what lives under and around them are.

[1insider]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

Instead there should be a ban on building too close to the dune. You don't see the correlation to the fact that before they shored up the dunes and maybe covered the closest rocks to the dunes with a few feet of sand, but with the more expensive corporate hotels and condos being there they are getting rid of the reef completely? The hotels don't want to deal with tourists that get scraped up and blame them or choose to stay elsewhere because of the reef. . Locals have always loved the reef and most of us have spent years enjoying them and hate to see them cover it.


Of course rocks are not alive but what attaches to them and what lives under and around them are.

I was replying to the poster who mentioned reefs dying and wanted to point out that this reef was different than hard coral reefs that are dying worldwide.

Totally agree with everything you said and am among those who love the rocky shore and everything that calls it home. I wish they'd stopped building so close long ago. Some of the most threatened structures (around the old SOB location) are among the oldest as they built when the coastal construction line was much further east. That line has been creeping westward over the years and the new structures are being built quite a bit further from the beach. Still too close in my opinion. Money always ruins everything.

[Leo58]

I always wonder about the surfers in this area. One can easily cut your foot on the rocks, or even hit your head after a wipeout.