By Elaine Glusac Published on October 16, 2023
A view of the beach on Bonaire island in the Caribbean sea
Bonaire in the Caribbean sea. . PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOURISM CORPORATION BONAIRE
On the Caribbean island of Bonaire, visitors not only witness the beauty of the reefs but can also help improve their health. I was nervously sucking air from my tank, 15 feet below the surface of the Caribbean Sea. Wielding pliers and zip ties, I was trying — and trying — to fasten a branch of staghorn coral to Bonaire’s newest reef, but the gentlest of currents pushed me away. My anxious breathing had me rising and falling erratically, in danger of becoming what my instructor Rob Verschoor called “a wrecking ball” that could crash into the coral.
A diver inspecting coral underwater
Coral restoration site. COURTESY OF TOURISM CORPORATION BONAIRE
After this dive I would become a newly minted Reef Renewal scuba diver, trained to handle — as lightly as possible — fragments of coral grown in submarine nurseries and eventually planted on bamboo frames affixed to the ocean floor. On Bonaire, a Dutch Caribbean island east of Aruba, the nonprofit Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire partners with 13 dive centers to certify participants in reef restoration. The organization has planted more than 50,000 corals in 19 sites in the country since 2012 — vital work considering that, worldwide, three-quarters of reefs are threatened by forces like climate change and pollution.
A diver swimming in the sea holding red crates filled with coral; coral growing in the sea
A Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire diver carries a crate of staghorn coral; staghorn coral restoration site. COURTESY OF TOURISM CORPORATION BONAIRE (2)
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Though Bonaire is an ideal place to learn about reef regeneration — the island is surrounded by a marine sanctuary — it isn’t the only destination embracing the practice. Resorts including Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort (doubles from $224), on St. Lucia, and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru (doubles from $570), in the Maldives, invite guests who have acquired scuba certification to help with coral planting. Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas (doubles from $310) recently announced it would host the country’s first coral gene bank to preserve, study, and propagate species at risk of stony coral tissue loss disease.
Spiky coral growing underwater
Croal growing at a Reef Renewal Bonaire restoration site. DAVID FISHMAN/COURTESY OF REEF RENEWAL BONAIRE
After spending a few days of leisurely diving on Bonaire’s reefs, which are home to eye-catching species like moray eels, I joined the two-day Reef Renewal training at the resort Buddy Dive Bonaire (doubles from $375; reef course $220). Six of us began with a shallow dive at a coral nursery offshore, equipped with wire brushes to clean algae from the underwater frames to which the coral is attached. It was surprisingly meditative, what with parrotfish and queen angelfish swimming by, and soon we were attaching staghorn and elkhorn coral to the rig. On our final dive we graduated to moving large pieces from the nursery to a bamboo structure that would form the basis of a new reef.
A group of scientists and divers stand on a boat and observe samples of coral
Francesca Virdis, the COO of Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, briefs volunteers. COURTESY OF REEF RENEWAL BONAIRE
Even through my crystal-clear mask, stringing coral underwater was like threading a needle with blurry vision. One of my patient instructors, Liza Kelly, encouraged me to keep trying, and eventually, I got the hang of it and earned my certification. I returned home with indelible memories of diving — and pride in leaving the reefs slightly better than I found them.
