Dive and plant new corals!
Use one of your dive trips to help restore our reefs! We are affiliated with CRF (Coral Restoration Foundation).
What is the Coral Restoration Foundation?
They are the largest reef restoration organization in the world with 7 off-shore coral nurseries.
How does it work?
You have 2 options when it comes to making a difference on our reef system with the Coral Restoration Foundation.
Mission: Iconic Reefs- Iconic Reef Guardians
This is a 2-tank morning trip where you will have the unique opportunity to experience a tour of the Coral Restoration Foundation’s Tavernier nursery. This nursery is over an acre in size, meaning that you will be able to swim through a forest of baby corals growing on CRF’s coral trees. There are over 500 coral trees with 11 different species of coral growing.
We will then visit Pickles Reef, where you will be able to see the coral that CRF has outplanted onto the reef. This is an opportunity to see the hard work that goes into growing and planting these corals in an effort to restore the reefs and repopulate the coral that was once abundant.
This trip is part of a new initiative formed in conjunction with numerous governmental and local agencies to restore 7 iconic reefs throughout the Florida Keys reef tract.
Call or email today to learn more about becoming an Iconic Reef Guardian!
This trip costs $130 for divers and $85 for snorkelers and includes donations to both the Coral Restoration Foundation and Mission: Iconic Reefs. You can also earn the PADI Coral Reef Conservation specialty certification at no additional cost!
Coral Restoration Foundation Dive Program
This program is an opportunity to get hands-on experience in both CRF’s Tavernier nursery and a nearby reef!
Starting in the morning at the Coral Restoration Foundation’s Exploration Center, CRF staff will give an inspiring presentation about our reef system here in the Keys. Here you will learn about the peril that our coral is in, and what is being done to try to restore our reefs through coral outplanting. After the presentation, CRF staff will walk you through workshops where you will learn how to clean the coral trees in their off-shore nursery and how to effectively outplant coral onto the reef.
In the afternoon, you will head down to Florida Keys Dive Center for an exciting afternoon of nursery maintenance and coral outplanting!
Dive one will take place at CRF’s Tavernier nursery, where you will clean the coral trees and collect coral fragments in preparation to outplant.
Dive two will take place at Pickles Reef where you will outplant the coral fragments that were harvested at the nursery.
This trip is $105 for divers and an additional $50 if you would like to receive the PADI Coral Reef Conservation specialty certification. The donation to the Coral Restoration Foundation is not included in this fee.
Call or email today to learn more about how you can take action and help to restore our reefs!
