Coral Restoration in Curacao, Part III

Finally, after some great food and rest, we had our last classwork session with Coral Restoration Curacao.  This time we had to take the larger “frags” and outplant them onto the reefs.  We practiced with dead coral and a demo bench.  The instructor went through the different design iterations they had used.  I found it very interesting that their latest design utilizes vertical rebar and dual-horizontal bamboo poles.  The corals are then zip-tied twice (once to each bamboo pole) for stability. Our complete work is below.

On our last dive (Part II), we were able to frag about 20 colonies and replant them on the nursery. 

As shown looking up a nursery tree, we had to choose which corals to outplant, and we had to select the largest and most healthy “chunks.” I can’t call these “frags,” as these were monstrous. 

Each coral “chunk” was placed into a weighted milk crate for transportation to the outplant site.

And here’s me, transporting the corals to the site. Precious goods, coming through!

Here is our own outplant site, and this combination of rebar, bamboo, and zip ties will be the new home for a small Staghorn coral reef.

This crate of Staghorn corals was my responsibility. No pressure!

Each Staghorn chunk was double-zip-tied, once to each supporting bamboo rod. Again, this was hard (especially when I accidentally slammed my ankle into some fire coral). It was really hard for me to concentrate after that – I became a bit paranoid! Remember, gloves are not allowed here! 

With any luck, our small little outplant will grow into a beautiful small reef soon, like the one pictured here.

This Staghorn outplant helps a sand bar into a home for so much life while protecting the island.

And maybe, the next time we return, Curacao will have a thriving Staghorn reef again, rivaling its original beauty.