Press

By Julian Hyde, Reef Check Malaysia CEO

I’ve been in Hawai’i for two weeks now, helping a fledgling Reef Check Hawai’i to get established. I haven’t actually done much training recently – or diving, come to that! But it’s been reassuring that it comes back quickly!

Diving here is interesting. The reefs are not as diverse as in Malaysia—not surprisingly, given that Malaysia is part of the Coral Triangle. But the water quality is great, and there are ample opportunities to spot megafauna. Two days ago, a manta ray slid slowly past our team while we were doing surveys; today, a 4-meter tiger shark came to visit the team on a training dive!

The Goal of the EcoDiver Training in Hawai’i

Our primary goal is to get a team of divers certified up to EcoDiver Trainer, so they can build a bigger team. That is going amazingly well, and the local team – Brad Giles, Rachel Yoder and Adam Florea, have been very passionate and committed to the training – which we are somehow doing around their regular working shifts in the dive center that is supporting this effort. So early starts and long days all around!

They have an ambitious goal to set up a survey program covering some 90 sites by the middle of next year, focusing on the main island (which is often referred to as “The Big Island” but is actually called Hawai’i) but also expanding to some of the other islands.

Marine Conservation in Hawai’i

Hawai’i is home to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Hawai’i and one of the largest in the world. It covers the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. There is some monitoring going on at the other islands, mainly conducted by the Division of Aquatic Resources, which manages the state’s Marine Life Conservation Districts, which are the state’s MPAs. What RC Hawai’i hopes to do is similar to what we are doing in Malaysia – getting volunteers involved as “citizen scientists” to provide more data on what is happening to the reefs around all the islands.

What is most interesting is the parallels between Hawai’i and Malaysia. The threats to the reefs are the same – local threats such as pollution, overfishing and impacts from tourism, and global threats such as climate change. There has historically been little involvement of local stakeholders in monitoring and management and the local indigenous population in Hawai’i seems to be somewhat marginalized – sound familiar? But from what I have been told, they are keen to participate where possible – just as in our own islands in Malaysia.

Hopefully, this will be the start of a great partnership! I’m hopeful that I will be able to keep in touch with the team here, and share what we have learned about setting up a Reef Check operation in Malaysia – if nothing else, so they can avoid the mistakes we made!

Our gratitude to the Reef Check Foundation

Finally a quick word of thanks to Reef Check Foundation who helped to set this up, and who have done fundraising for it; and to Jack’s Diving Locker here in Kona, Hawai’i, who have provided all the diving logistics for the training.

Good luck to the newest RC chapter – Reef Check Hawai’i!

Next stop on my trip – to meet RC Dominican Republic and learn about their experience actually managing MPAs. After that – Cali, Colombia, to attend COP 16, the UN’s conference on biodiversity. As mentioned previously, it’s going to be a very interesting conference; COP 15 two years ago agreed on biodiversity conservation targets; this time it’s about setting up the mechanisms and funding to make those targets real.

Next July, join Reef Check Board Member Linden Wolbert (aka Mermaid Linden), videographers Justin Lutsky and Abbey Blake from Submerge, and Reef Check EcoDiver Trainer Dr. Ahmed Shawky for an unforgettable Red Sea adventure from July 5-12, 2025!

This trip features:

• World-class diving on vibrant Red Sea reefs
• Reef Check EcoDiver training and certification
• Marine mammal observation & underwater laser photogrammetry
• Luxury accommodations aboard the MY Turquoise dive yacht

During your citizen science training, you will explore the unique Red Sea, known for its warm, salty waters, vibrant marine life, and hidden shipwrecks. This iconic body of water has been shaped by its rich history and unique oceanographic conditions. Spaces are limited, don’t miss out!

See full details here:
https://www.submergeunderwater.com/redsea-2025-reef-check

By Gianfranco Rossi, Reef Check Italia Onlus

The Red Sea, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia are among the top destinations that attract millions of tourists every year, especially divers eager to explore these tropical paradises. The variety of life, vibrant colors, and extraordinary stories behind the countless organisms inhabiting these environments create an irresistible allure for many. Although coral reefs are named after corals, few people truly understand these precious organisms that have been building vital structures for millions of years, giving rise to the most biodiverse marine habitats on the planet. Currently, corals are in danger, and there is a real risk that by the end of this century, coral reefs, as we have been fortunate enough to know them, may no longer exist. Future generations will pay the price for the failings of previous ones who did not preserve one of the planet’s greatest wonders. This will inevitably happen if we do nothing to prevent it. Each of us can contribute, but to do so, we must first recognize the importance of the reef builders: the corals.

Although corals are crucial for reef ecosystems and human benefits, our efforts to support and monitor their role and status are hindered by our limited ability to identify them. Accurately and consistently recognizing corals at the genus level is essential for assessing community richness and, when done systematically, can serve as an indicator of reef health over time.

Trying to identify coral species is a complex and challenging task due to the intrinsic characteristics of these organisms. For over a century, taxonomists have attempted to assign names to the various types of corals that early biologists collected during their walks along the beaches, a field that saw significant development after the invention of scuba gear. All the information gathered during this long period remains valid today for attempting to name specific species, and this methodology is utilized in the volume “Corals”. This guide aims to assist in the identification of the main genera of reef-building corals using images from across the Indo-Pacific region. 

Most of the information is based exclusively on the macro-morphology of corals, although today scientific identification often requires information from microstructural analyses, anatomy of the soft parts of the coral, and molecular genetics. After a general introduction, the methodology used and the characteristics of individual genera will be described, and a series of useful information will be provided for identification. Given the complexity of coral identification, we will rarely identify individual species and instead, identification will be primarily to genus level. However, if required, further taxonomic resources can be found in the bibliography.

Submitted by Reef Check Malaysia

INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP (ICC) 2024 – MALAYSIA

The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day for 2024 took place worldwide on September 21st. RCM has been coordinating the ICC in Malaysia for several years with the help of many partners and sponsors, as well as thousands of enthusiastic volunteers.

This year, a total 8,356 volunteers gathered at hundreds of locations across Malaysia to remove a whopping 41,014 kg (90,422 lbs) of trash from beach and underwater clean-ups. The total number of items collected was 388,730! Here is a breakdown of the Top 5 items and how many of them were found during the 2024 ICC:

Top 5 Items
Beverage bottles (plastic): 50,785
Cigarette butts: 39,584
Plastic/ foam pieces: 38,801
Grocery bags (plastic): 28,456
Food wrappers (candy, chips, etc): 20,739

These top five items are all plastics, and they account for 45.9% of all trash collected for the entire month of September. Marine debris is one of the greatest threats our ocean faces, and clean-up efforts such as the ICC play a significant role in reducing the amount of damage done to this precious ecosystem. All the data collected is recorded on the Clean Swell app, and it helps scientists and managers around the world make better decisions when it comes to tackling the issue of trash on both a global and national scale. More information about ICC can be found here. A complete report on the 2024 ICC in Malaysia will be released soon on our website and social media channels, so stay tuned!

KOD BLUE: LAUT NEEDS YOU 2024 (LAUT: SEA)

Reef Check Malaysia’s Kod Blue: Laut Needs You 2024 (Kod Blue 2024) is part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) effort. 77 volunteers for Kod Blue 2024, which happened on September 7, collected 757.7 kg (1,670 lbs) of trash from the beach cleanup and 50.8 kg (112 lbs) of trash from the underwater cleanup. The trash collected largely consisted of plastic water bottles (1,935 bottles), foam dock pieces (580 pieces) and footwear (243 slippers/shoes). The underwater cleanup team also removed 62 Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COT), which are predators of corals. Read more about this exciting event here.   

STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY MARINE CONSERVATION GROUPS (CMCGs) IN MALAYSIA

Our community groups based on the islands have been continuously improving themselves with new skills. Recently, seven members of the Redang Marine Conservation Group (RMCG) completed their training and are now certified EcoDivers. To date, 12 RMCG members have been trained as EcoDivers and they help conduct surveys in and around Redang Island. Members of RMCG have also been conducting various other activities including coral reef bleaching monitoring, reef rehabilitation efforts and monitoring, as well as reef biodiversity monitoring, besides keeping the reefs safe from ghost nets and other threats.  

Meanwhile over in Semporna, Sabah, nine members of the Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG) have been elected as Honorary Park Rangers under Sabah Parks*. They participated in a 3-day Honorary Park Ranger Training at the Sabah Parks Office in Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The trained youths are now able to enforce Section 48 under the Parks Enactment 1984, which is to protect the integrity of the park’s natural resources from any damages or illegal alterations. The training was conducted as a part of the Sea Patrolling project funded by The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Similar to other CMCGs, the SMCG conducts many conservation-related activities around their island.

 *Sabah state government agency that manages national parks and reserves within Sabah

COMMUNITY-LED SEA PATROLLING PROJECT

The Selakan Marine Conservation Group (SMCG) recently kicked off the community-led sea patrolling project around Selakan Island. During the first patrolling session, they engaged with two fishermen (from mainland) who were seen fishing within the community managed area. The team from SMCG had a very practical approach: they engaged all the fishermen in a respectful manner, took some time to conduct a simple interview, explained the concept of the community managed area (to protect the marine resources around the island and ensure its sustainability) and advised the fishermen against fishing in the area. To date, the SMCG has prevented more than 12 boats from encroaching into the community-managed area in Selakan Island, two of which were fish bombing boats.

HANDS-ON CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Our colleagues and the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) often receive volunteer groups coming to the island to conduct several conservation activities for students or organizations. Such collaborations hope to increase awareness among participants and emphasize our responsibility to protect and conserve the marine environment.

In the past two months, the TMCG hosted a partner company and a school group. Among the activities conducted included an underwater clean up and population control of the Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COTs). As for the school students, they had the opportunity to help our team with recycling glass bottles using a glass crusher. They then used the crushed glass pieces to make “coral pots” which will be used in our reef rehabilitation efforts.

MARINE ECOSYSTEM EDUCATION FOR SOUTH OF JOHOR’S YOUTH

Our colleagues in Mersing have been spending time with the local schools in South of Johor, conducting many awareness programs for close to 170 students of different ages. We conducted indoor sessions on coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass as well as the importance of marine sanctuaries. Two groups of students also had the opportunity to attend a school trip to a marine sanctuary, during which they watched an interactive reptile show and explored mangrove habitats. All these activities aimed to introduce the various ecosystems found in Johor as well as cultivate a better appreciation of their significance through visits to these ecosystems.

Did you know the first ever Reef Check survey was conducted in Kaua’i, Hawai’i, USA? Reef Check is happy to announce that we are coming back to the place it all started! That’s right, Reef Check Hawai’i is relaunching next month and you can be a part of it!

The Hawaiian Islands are home to some of the most remote, nearshore reef systems in the world, leading to a large percentage of marine organisms being “endemic” or only found in Hawai’i! With such a unique and diverse ecosystem, it is imperative we understand as much as we can about it, and Reef Check’s coral reef monitoring program is one way we can achieve this.

Brad Giles, one of our hardest-working West Coast Kelp Forest Monitoring volunteers, has been spending winters in Hawa’ii working in the dive industry. In his time there he has witnessed impacts to the reefs and has become so concerned about the state of Hawai’i’s extraordinary coral reefs that he has committed to volunteer his time to relaunch the Reef Check Hawai’i program! What’s more, he has worked with local dive shops and tour operators who are on board to donate thousands of dollars of boat time and rental gear to support this effort. Brad plans on doing 100 surveys by the end of 2025, and if you know Brad, then you know he can do it! But he cannot do it without your support!

All we need now is to raise start-up funds to get this program off the ground!

Our goal is to raise $10,000 to provide Brad with the resources he needs to fully launch this program! This money will go towards putting him and his team through the intensive training to become Reef Check EcoDiver Trainers and enable them to buy the materials necessary to launch the program to recruit and train citizen scientists.

Go here to donate to the launch of the Reef Check Hawai’i Program!

Any donation is much appreciated and gets us closer to our goal of making Reef Check Hawai’i a reality and supporting the sound scientific management of Hawaiian Reefs!! We’ve even set up a number of great thank-you gifts!

$50 Reef Check Hawai’i Sticker
$100 Reef Check Hawai’i T-shirt
$250 Reef Check Hawai’i Water Bottle
$500 Reef Check Hawai’i T-shirt + Hat
$1000 Voucher for a Reef Check Hawai’i EcoDiver training class

You can also sign up for the Reef Check Hawai’i Monthly eNewsletter for program updates and follow us on social media for in-the-moment updates, fun critter facts, and all things Reef Check Hawai’i:

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Weekly Blog

By Morgan Murphy-Cannella, Director of Education

Reef Check’s Dive into Science Program is gaining momentum with a string of great successes taking place this season! Several cohorts have completed their Open Water and Advanced dive courses, earning their respective certifications and expanding their marine science knowledge along the way. Keep reading for updates on the Northern California Tribal program and those involving the Coastal Chumash and Tongva communities, the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, and Los Angeles and Antelope Valley foster youth.

Northern California Tribal program

This year we successfully completed three Open Water and two Advanced cohorts, marking significant milestones in our ongoing efforts to provide SCUBA certification and marine education to Indigenous communities in northern California. The participants in this program represent a rich tapestry of heritage, coming from the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, Yurok Tribe, Yokayo Tribe, and Pinoleville Pomo Nation.

Our program’s impact extends beyond their initial certification. Several members of Kashia Band of Pomo Indians from our first cohort have taken their scuba education to the next level by completing Rescue Diver and American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Scientific Diver certifications at the UC Davis Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory. We are excited they have taken what they learned in Dive into Science and expanded on it by becoming scientific divers. Esther Stra and Ely Scott, two Environmental Technicians from Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, will use their AAUS certification for work on kelp and abalone restoration projects along the Sonoma Coast for their Tribe. This certification enables them to steward the ocean and aid in the restoration of their Tribe’s most culturally significant species, the red abalone. This early success of the program serves as a strong motivator for following cohorts that are working towards their scientific diving certification.

This program has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Coastal Conservancy’s Explore the Coast grant. Their funding has been instrumental in providing these transformative experiences, enabling us to foster a deeper connection between Indigenous youth and their coastal heritage while promoting environmental stewardship.

Coastal Chumash and Tongva Communities

This program has achieved remarkable success, having certified two cohorts of Coastal Chumash and Tongva community youth. Each cohort had the unique opportunity to travel to Pimu (Catalina Island) and complete the first phase of the program at the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). During this phase, participants earned their Open Water certification while diving in the clear waters surrounding Pimu Island, immersing themselves in the island’s rich marine environment. Special recognition and thanks go out to CIMI for their invaluable support and partnership in making this program a reality. We are particularly proud of our second cohort, which was comprised of all women and non-binary participants, as they all completed their certification and are eager to continue to dive. This program will offer further opportunities in the upcoming months. Students will hone their skills and continue to deepen their engagement with the marine environment during additional scuba dives and during their Advanced scuba training.

Looking further ahead, the program will expand to include Rescue Diver training, Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring, and participation in the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) programs next year. 

This program would not have been possible without the generous support of the California Natural Resources Agency Youth Community Access Program. Their funding has been crucial in enabling us to provide these life-changing experiences to the youth of the Coastal Chumash and Tongva communities.

Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation

We are thrilled to announce the commencement of the Ghvtl shu’-srnelh-‘i: Kelp Guardian project in collaboration with the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation (TDN or the Nation). This program is set to achieve its first significant milestones this fall with the successful completion of Open Water scuba certification of all participants. Lectures and pool sessions have started and open water dives are scheduled for the coming weeks.

The primary goals of the Kelp Guardian project are twofold: to provide scuba training and citizen science education that will enhance the capacity of TDN Natural Resources staff, and to empower them to effectively monitor their ancestral coastal territory. By integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific methods, this program aims to develop a ghvtlh-k’vsh (kelp) monitoring program that is both culturally meaningful and scientifically robust, tailored specifically to the unique environmental conditions of TDN ancestral lands.

This course will take place in and around the Crescent City area and along the Smith River, locations that hold deep significance for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ people. By training TDN staff in scuba and citizen science, we hope to equip them with additional tools needed to actively engage in the stewardship of these vital marine ecosystems. This program is funded by California Sea Grant.

Los Angeles and Antelope Valley Foster Youth

This year, our Los Angeles and Antelope Valley foster youth program reached a significant milestone as participants completed their Advanced SCUBA course in the clear waters of the Channel Islands. This experience provided invaluable opportunities for participants of this cohort to dive from a boat and explore Marine Protected Areas, allowing them to witness firsthand the beauty and biodiversity of these critical marine environments. 

Building on this success, we are excited to announce that two more cohorts are scheduled to begin their Skin Diver certification soon. These courses serve as an essential foundation, preparing participants for the Open Water certification by familiarizing them with basic snorkeling and breath-hold diving skills. This progression not only builds their confidence in the water but also lays the groundwork for their continued scuba training.

To further enhance their marine knowledge and foster a deeper connection with the ocean, we are taking field trips to the Heal the Bay Aquarium. These excursions will provide the youth with interactive learning experiences where they can explore marine life up close and gain a better understanding of the importance of ocean conservation. This program is funded by the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants and Local Services.