Protecting Blue Heron Bridge: Why We Signed the Petition Against Singer Island Gateway

Blue Heron Bridge is one of the most famous shore dive and snorkel sites in the world - divers and underwater photographers fly in from every continent just to slip under those pilings at Phil Foster Park. That reputation is exactly why a new proposal at one end of the bridge deserves every diver's attention. What's Being Proposed The Continuum Company has proposed "Singer Island Gateway," a 25-story condominium tower with an attached marina, on a vacant lot near Riviera Beach at one end of the Blue Heron Bridge. The developer's own environmental impact statement concludes the project would cause no harm to the surrounding marine environment. Why Divers Are Pushing Back Krista Parker, a NAUI Divemaster, disputes that conclusion. She points out that the site is home to an unusual concentration of marine life for a shore dive - octopus, frogfish, boxfish, stingrays and spotted eagle rays are all regularly spotted under the bridge - and argues that building a marina there would disrupt that ecosystem. The Blue Heron Bridge Hotel and Dive Club has put up opposition signage locally, and a Change.org petition against the development has already gathered more than 28,000 signatures. "It's a real treasure," Parker said of the site, noting that it "draws tourism from all over the world." Our Take We don't have any evidence that this specific development will harm the dive site - the developer's environmental impact statement may well be accurate. But that's exactly the point: given how many different marine species call this site home, and how much of a global reputation Blue Heron Bridge has earned as one of the best shore dives anywhere, why take the chance? The area already carries plenty of boat traffic as it is. If this development moves forward, at the very least a thorough, independent environmental study needs to happen first - not just the developer's own assessment. Add Your Name We've signed the petition here, and we're encouraging everyone who has ever snorkeled or dived Blue Heron Bridge to do the same. It costs nothing and takes a minute - and it's the least we can do for a site that's given so many of us some of our best dives. You can read more about the proposal and the opposition in the original coverage from WMNF here.