News
Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao ‘Branches Out’ for a Successful 3rd Anniversary
The Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao (CRF Curaçao) officially celebrated their 3rd Anniversary this month with a full day of coral out planting activities supported by community volunteers, local dive operations and the Curacao Hospitality and Tourism Association’s (CHATA) Dive Task Force.
CRF Curaçao began operations in May 2015, initially only starting the nursery (located on the Ocean Encounters house reef at Lions Dive & Beach Resort) with 400 coral fragments of Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) hanging from 10 “trees”. Later, an additional 10 trees were installed in that same year, populated with fragments of corals from the first trees. By 2016, the nurseries held 1250 corals.
Since the launch in 2015, CRF Curaçao has successfully now out now planted over 4000 corals at various popular dive sites along Curaçao’s southeastern coastline. Additionally, the Foundation’s Board has “branched out” and expanded the nurseries by enlisting Atlantis Diving Curaçao as a new CRF Curaçao affiliate member. By doing so, the Foundation’s Board is confident that they can provide triple the number of coral fragments available to be out planted back onto Curaçao’s fringing reefs.
Ruud de Loos, Managing Director of Atlantis Diving Curacao says:
“The Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao has so far 20 nursery trees and we, Atlantis Diving, have added 6 additional trees on our own house reef. The maintenance, monitoring and out planting is a very rewarding process knowing that we are positively contributing to the sustainability of the coral reefs around Curaçao. We appreciate the time and the charitable donations invested by local volunteers, schools, dive shops and (tourist) divers.”
The morning program started at Ocean Encounters Diving Curaçao (located at Lions Dive Beach Resort) with a group of community volunteers, who had been certified as PADI Coral Restoration Diver’s, left the dock with 18 divers aboard the Curaçao Galaxy and headed to Director’s Bay where they out planted 350 corals, from 7 different genotypes, on seven different structures made of metal rebars and bamboo.
In the afternoon, local dive centers (Ocean Encounters, CURious2Dive, Scubacao, GO WEST Diving and Scuba Lodge Dive Center Pietermaai) and the members of the CHATA Dive Task Force gathered at Atlantis Diving Curaçao to out planted another 150 corals, on 3 different structures, on their house reef. In total, 500 corals of 10 different genotypes were out planted across 10 different structures!
CRF Curaçao is dedicated to their mission statement which is “to bring back the shallow-water populations of staghorn and elkhorn corals in Curacao, which would not only help mitigate the possible effects of climate change but also rejuvenate reef fisheries and biodiversity, as well as help the scuba diving tourism sector.”
“The significance of the Curaçao Reef Restoration Program is that together as a community here on Curaçao, we will be restoring our shallow water reef system while educating our youth about the importance of protecting and preserving our natural ecosystem,” according to Pol Bosch, CRF Curacao, who adds: “I believe programs like this help solidify a natural sustainability for future generations.”
By supporting valuable and sustainable coral reef initiatives, like CRF Curaçao, you will be reaffirming your commitment to the island of Curacao so that future generations may benefit. Supporting this initiative through sponsorship and charitable donations is integral for success and volunteers will be needed for regular nursery maintenance and care. Donate, become a CRFC volunteer or Adopt A Coral today. Together, we are making a difference for Curaçao!
Written by: Bryan Horne, Dive Curaçao.
If you’re new to this blog, then I am Mia DaPonte and I share my life underwater with you after I got certified as the youngest female Master Scuba Diver in the USA! You can also follow me and all my adventures on Instagram: @underwaterwithmia.
Last week my family and I returned from our vacation in Aruba, where we did lots of fun activities, and my mom and I went diving with AJ and Aruba Premier Boat and Dive.
Before you think I’m going to say it’s not great diving—it’s actually amazing! Aruba diving is truly an experience, but it all depends on who you go with. On our first day, AJ took us to the Antilla wreck. It is SOOOO cool—maybe one of my favorite wreck dives yet (but I haven’t seen too many wrecks). AJ told us the story of the Antilla wreck, and guess what? It is the largest wreck in the Caribbean! AJ guided us through the wreck. It was filled with fish and moray eels. We saw a sea turtle! My most favorite part of this dive was getting to go through some of the easier parts of the wreck. I am really liking wreck diving and want to do more!
The second dive that day, I got to choose a reef or a wreck. I chose another wreck that was more pieces than a full ship. It’s so cool to see wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, especially when I hear about why it’s there and can imagine the story while I dive.
For our second day of diving, we met AJ on the other side of the island. The goal for this day was to see some beautiful reefs! Both dives this day were beautiful. There were so many colorful corals. We saw a stingray and tons of beautiful tropical fish.
It was a lot of fun diving in Aruba, where the waters are clear. I would definitely want to come back and dive in Aruba—especially with AJ! He was so fun and told great stories. I learned so much about the island from him. Side note: during surface intervals, AJ served us butter and Gouda cheese sandwiches and they were so delicious! Oh—and he gave me and my mom great tips on how to treat the sunburns we got on our first day on the island. Haha.
The rest of the vacation was family time. We spent time relaxing on the white sandy beaches, went to the Aruba waterpark, ate at lots of delicious restaurants, shopped, and spent whole days swimming. The waterpark was a lot of fun and they had some bigger slides for older kids. My personal opinion is that the waterpark is made more for younger kids than older ones—my younger brother loved it—but it was still a good day.
Diving is always a favorite for me, but on this trip something else was even better. This was my favorite part: We were at the airport on our way home, and we were unusually early for our flight. Anyway, I knew my parents had a surprise for my brother and me, but when I asked them, they told us it was just a painting being delivered (not really a great lie, but it worked). I was just on my phone and my brother was playing video games while we waited. We didn’t even notice at first, but then my mom walked up to us with a little puppy in her arms.
He was a surprise that my mom and dad adopted from the Sgt. Pepper’s Rescue on the island! I was so excited to have a new puppy—and he’s the coolest island cunucu mutt! It was the best surprise ever. Now we have a new family member! I think it’s OK to talk about him in this blog. We, of course, named him “Reef”! It fits with my scuba theme.
Thank you for reading my blogs—this one might just be my favorite. See you next time!
Book your next dive adventure in Aruba with AJ:
Call: +297-7445406 or +297-744-2009
Email: arubapremiere@gmail.com
In a video produced exclusively for Scubaverse.com, Jeff Goodman reviews the Frameless Mask from Atomic Aquatics.
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