Editing Artificial reef (section)

===Recreational dive sites===
[[File:Musa 3 (13752182883).jpg| thumb | right | Statue by [[Jason deCaires Taylor]], [[Museo Subacuático de Arte]] ]]
[[File:EDP ArtReef by Vhils, Lisboa 01.jpg|thumb|right|Artwork for the creation of Artreef, Albufeira]]
Thousands of popular [[wreck diving]] sites throughout the world are shipwrecks sunk as artificial reefs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wrecks and Obstructions Database|url=http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/wrecks_and_obstructions.html|website=NOAA|access-date=2016-03-08|archive-date=2021-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723033310/https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/wrecks_and_obstructions.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some of these wrecks were [[Sinking ships for wreck diving sites|sunk deliberately to attract divers]]. The {{USS|Spiegel Grove}} and {{USS|Oriskany|CV-34|6}} in [[Florida]], {{USS|Indra|ARL-37|6}} and {{USS|Aeolus|ARC-3|6}} in North Carolina, and {{ship||Bianca C.|ship|2}} in [[Grenada]] draw thousands of divers annually.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gerken|first1=Michael|title=Top 10 Wreck Dives of North Carolina|url=http://www.scubadiving.com/photos/top-10-wreck-dives-north-carolina|website=Scuba Diving|access-date=8 March 2016}}</ref>

In other areas, dive sites have been developed in collaboration with artists as artworks.
For example, the [[Museo Subacuático de Arte]] in the [[Cancún National Marine Park]] contains hundreds of life-size statues, offering divers an alternative to sensitive coral reefs in the region. Each statue is made from a plaster mold of a living person, using a PH neutral "marine cement", by [[Jason deCaires Taylor]].<ref name="Perdomo">{{cite news |last1=Perdomo |first1=Gabriela |title=Mexico's underwater art museum sinks sculptures beneath the sea |url=https://macleans.ca/culture/is-art-better-down-where-its-wetter/ |access-date=6 July 2023 |work=Macleans |date=6 March 2012}}</ref>

In Lisbon, 13 artworks by Alexandre Farto ([[Vhils]]) will be placed in an artificial reef off the coast of [[Albufeira]] as of June 2024. The works are made from parts of decommissioned power stations.<ref name="Romano">{{cite news |last1=Romano |first1=Verónica |title=Taking the plunge to see Portugal's unique underwater exhibition |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/03/26/taking-the-plunge-to-see-art-a-unique-underwater-exhibition-in-portugal |access-date=6 July 2023 |work=euronews |date=26 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

A study in Barbados showed a marked variation in diver satisfaction with artificial reef diving experiences. Novice divers tended to be more satisfied than more experienced divers, who had a strong preference for natural reefs and large shipwrecks.
<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Relationship between Diver Experience Levels and Perceptions of Attractiveness of Artificial Reefs – Examination of a Potential Management Tool |first1=Anne E. |last1=Kirkbride-Smith |first2=Philip M. |last2=Wheeler |first3=Magnus L. |last3=Johnson |date=23 July 2013 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0068899 |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=7 |pages=e68899 |pmid=23894372 |pmc=3720904 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...868899K |doi-access=free }}</ref>