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Short answer: In September 2026, 22 Reef Arches were installed along about 200 feet of eroded shoreline at Coconut Point, on the south side of Sebastian Inlet State Park. The honeycomb-shaped concrete breakwaters are designed to reduce wave energy and curb erosion while giving oysters and other organisms a solid place to grow. Dockside Builders' crew and crane barge helped set the arches alongside Reef Arches LLC, and ORCA will monitor the site with volunteer citizen scientists.
What are Reef Arches?
Reef Arches are prefabricated, honeycomb-shaped concrete modules made for coastal protection and marine habitat restoration. Instead of a solid seawall, each arch has an open shape that lets water move through while taking energy out of the waves. The units used at Coconut Point are about 1,200 lb each.
They are part of what is called a living shoreline: a breakwater paired with native plants such as red mangroves. Living shorelines protect the bank while giving fish, oysters and other wildlife a place to live.
How do Reef Arches reduce erosion?
- They slow the waves. Set just off the bank, the arches break up wave energy before it reaches the shore.
- They help the shore rebuild. Calmer water behind the arches lets sand and sediment settle and build up over time.
- They grow a reef. The concrete gives oysters and other organisms a solid foundation to settle on and grow.
- They make room for mangroves. Mangroves planted behind the arches add roots that help hold the shoreline.
Where were the Reef Arches installed?
The arches went in at Coconut Point, a finger of land on the south side of Sebastian Inlet State Park, on the Indian River Lagoon. According to the Sebastian Inlet District, 22 Reef Arches were installed on September 10, 2026, along about 200 feet of eroded shoreline, and up to 90 mangroves will be planted at the site.
The project is a partnership of the Sebastian Inlet District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, ORCA and Sebastian Inlet State Park, funded through a $95,000 state cost-share grant with in-kind contributions from the District, Reef Arches and MANG.
What did Dockside Builders do?
Our crew and crane barge helped set the arches alongside Reef Arches LLC, which made and installed the units. A shorter project recap is also in our Reef Arches at Coconut Point customer story. For how living shorelines sit alongside other shoreline options, see wood, vinyl, concrete or stacked rock seawalls. The work was done in shallow water along the point, inside a turbidity curtain that keeps stirred-up sediment contained.
Next up, we will support a Reef Arch installation in the Florida Keys.
Who is ORCA?
The Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) is a Vero Beach-based nonprofit that works to protect and restore the Indian River Lagoon and other aquatic ecosystems. ORCA's trained volunteer citizen scientists will monitor Coconut Point for at least three years, tracking seagrass growth, biodiversity, shoreline accretion and oyster recruitment. If you would like to help ORCA continue this work, you can donate to ORCA.
How can I watch the project?
The Sebastian Inlet District, one of our partners, runs the Sebastian Inlet webcam. The North Jetty camera below shows the latest photos of the inlet, updated through the day. Use the arrows to step through recent images.
North Jetty camera from the Sebastian Inlet webcam, a service of the Sebastian Inlet District, updated through the day.
Check the date and time on images; conditions change quickly.
See video clips and every camera on the Sebastian Inlet webcam site
To follow the Coconut Point shoreline itself, ORCA set up a Chronolog photo station at the site. Visitors line up their phone in the station's bracket, take a photo and send it in, and each photo is added to a time-lapse that shows how the shoreline changes over time: view the Coconut Point time-lapse on Chronolog. Surfline also streams a live HD cam of the inlet, marked as a Premium cam: Sebastian Inlet on Surfline.
Watch the installation
ORCA's video shows the living shoreline and Reef Arches installation at Coconut Point, with the Dockside Builders crew in action.
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