Press

As the year comes to a close, I want to extend my sincere gratitude for your support. Thanks to our global network of volunteers, donors, and partners, 2025 has been a milestone year for Reef Check.

We celebrated the 20th anniversary of our Kelp Forest Monitoring Program, completed our 2,000th kelp survey, and launched a new monitoring program in Chile. We also strengthened our team by hiring a Dive into Science Program Coordinator and new Volunteer Coordinators in Oregon and Washington, expanding our reach along the West Coast.

Across our coral reef programs, we welcomed Aqualink as an official Global Reef Tracker partner, contributed data to the GCRMN Pacific assessment of coral reefs, and held our first tropical EcoDiver/Kelp Forest crossover course in Hawai‘i. 

Our education and community programs grew as well, with 53 new scuba certifications, expansion of Dive into Science into Oregon with ORKA and the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the completion of a Kelp Forest Monitoring course with the Coastal Chumash and Tongva Community program.

In restoration, we launched Oregon’s first Kelp Defenders training program and completed 33 surveys across ten restoration sites—important steps toward rebuilding resilient kelp forests.

If you are able, I respectfully ask you to consider making a year-end donation to help sustain and expand this vital work. To help amplify your impact, all donations—whether made as a one-time gift or as a new monthly contribution—will be matched dollar for dollar up to $7,500. 

Thank you for being part of the Reef Check community. I wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and look forward to what we will accomplish together in the year ahead.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Jan Freiwald
Executive Director
Reef Check Foundation

2025 Successes

Organizational

• Hired Dive into Science Program Coordinator
• Hired Volunteer Coordinators for Oregon and Washington

Kelp Forest Program

• Celebrated the 20th anniversary of Reef Check’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Program
• Marked the milestone of the 2,000th Kelp Forest Monitoring Survey
• Launched a new kelp forest monitoring program in Chile

Coral Reef Program

• Announced Aqualink as an official Global Reef Tracker partner for Reef Check’s coral reef data
• Shared data for Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN)’s new regional assessment of the Pacific
• Conducted first-ever EcoDiver / Kelp Forest Crossover Course in Hawai’i

Education Program

• Achieved a total of 53 scuba certifications across all programs
• Successfully completed a Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring certification course as part of the Coastal Chumash and Tongva Community program
• Expanded Dive into Science program into Oregon in partnership with ORKA (Oregon Kelp Alliance) and Coquille Indian Tribe

Restoration Program

• Launched our first restoration training program in Oregon; the “Kelp Defenders” were trained to monitor restoration sites and remove urchins from restoration sites
• Monitored 10 restoration sites and completed a total of 33 restoration surveys 

By Dan Abbott, Director of Kelp Forest Program

On December 10th, Reef Check finished their 2025 kelp forest survey season. This was our 20th season surveying kelp forest, and for the first time, we completed over 200 surveys in a season, including our 2,000th survey! This was a monumental effort and we could not have done it without our 250+ amazing volunteer divers who completed roughly 3,000 dives to collect this vital data. They braved cold water, long swims, rough boat rides, difficult shore entries, poor visibility, and heavy surge and current, to measure the health of these amazing ecosystems. Thank you all for your passion and dedication!

This truly was a team effort! In addition to our amazing volunteers we’d like to thank all of our partners from aquariums, non-profits, universities, tribes, and government agencies, who collected data on our behalf. We want to give a huge shout-out to our supporters in the dive community, including all of the dive shops that generously donated air fills to our volunteers so they could complete this work. We’d like to thank all the boats and captains who got us safely to our sites with a special mention to long-time Reef Check supporter Phil Sammet who captained us for almost 30 days this year and donated his boat and time on several occasions. Lastly, we want to thank the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who gave us time on the RV Garibaldi that enabled us to access almost half our sites in Southern California. We could not have done this without all of you!

Finally, we want to thank all our funders who made this work possible including all of our volunteers who went above and beyond volunteering and donated money so we could survey sites that we otherwise would not have been able to! One volunteer in particular deserves special thanks. Louise & Jim Wholey’s generous donation in 2025 enabled us to survey a large number of sites on the Central Coast of California that we otherwise would not have been able to get to. Thank you Louise & Jim, and thank you all!

This impressive effort makes a significant contribution to the conservation and protection of our kelp forests, which are under stress due to multiple, often poorly understood stressors.  In 2025 Reef Check data was used in dozens of scientific papers, reports, and presentations. This data, that we collected over the past 20 years sheds light on the fate of these ecosystems so scientists, managers, and ocean dependent communities can take actions to protect and conserve the ecosystems. A huge thanks to the massive team that worked together to make our ocean healthier. You rock!

Below are messages from our regional managers addressed to their teams. Enjoy reading their highlights of the season. 

Washington
By Shawn Augustine, Volunteer Coordinator

The 2025 survey season has come to an end, and I want to thank everyone who came out and participated in surveys this year, as well as our partners and the boat captains who got us out to some of our sites. We certified 30 new volunteers and recertified 22 returning volunteers who, along with our partners, surveyed 62 sites, including 6 in British Columbia. Special shout-outs to our Rookie of the Year, Sofie Broznowski, who never failed to bring the positive vibes and our Golden Slate winner with 19 survey dives, Michelle Halpin, who stepped up to attend some of our last-minute dives.

Oregon
By Diana Hollingshead, Regional Manager

Thank you for a fantastic 2025 season. We are already starting to plan 2026. Additional sites, more volunteer opportunities, more restoration opportunities, more camaraderie and fun! ORKA (Oregon Kelp Alliance) has put together a snapshot of how Reef Check divers contributed to their work this year.  Be proud of yourselves! You made an impact. 

Northern California
By Ian Norton, Regional Manager

The 2025 Field Season has come to a close and I want to thank you all for your help and camaraderie. A lot of our sites on the North Coast are quite rural, and many of you commuted several hours or more to lend a hand with our annual surveys. Your dedication to helping us collect this important data is greatly appreciated! 

I’d like to congratulate our Golden Slate winners: Morgan Wren and Lauren Nutt with 9 survey dives each! This year, we had a record number of volunteer dive days on the North Coast with 104, a testament to the tenacity of our divers.

Central California
By True Barnes, Regional Manager

Although we started the season with less resources and funding than in typical years, due the tenacity and generosity of our volunteers, we had one of the most productive years ever! This year, we overcame a lack of typical boat diving by using kayaks, DPVs (Diver Propulsion Vehicles), difficult shore entries and swims, as well as some boat-use donations from our friends, captains, and partners. 

However, it was our volunteer Louise Wholey (and her husband, Jim), whose incredibly generous donation allowed us to survey every Reef Check site in the Central Coast including San Luis Obispo which had not been fully surveyed since 2022. Louise also attended some of our most interesting surveys including some deep boat dives, difficult entry shore dives, and two DPV surveys with her daughter Mary. 

This season we completed 49 sites from shore, kayaks, boats and with DPVs, the most ever done on the Central Coast!  Each year, two big awards are given out, the Golden Slate Award for the highest number of volunteer days goes to  Philine Marchetta with 17 Days! And the Rookie of the Year Award for the highest number of volunteer days attended by a brand new goes to Dachuan Zhang with 20 Days! Both divers showed extreme dedication, attending surveys across all three California regions with no discrimination on sites or entry methods.

A final thank you to our partners and boat captains whose contributions in time and resources made this season the success that it was! Special thank you to Rick Rowett, Mike Albers, and of course Phil Sammet, who personally captained us out 27 days this season in Monterey, Half Moon Bay, and Morro Bay!

Southern California
By Jaclyn Mann, Regional Manager

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to congratulate you all on another stellar survey season! This year we were able to complete 50 surveys in Southern California, which is quite the feat and is only possible because of your continued commitment to Reef Check’s monitoring program. Thank you for the hours upon hours of hard work you put in this year, the early mornings, and the long drives throughout the region that made all of this possible. You’re all rockstars and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together next season!

Super special shoutouts to our Golden Slate winners, Jonah Rubash and Svetlana Isaeva, who rarely missed an opportunity to dive with a total of 28 survey days each. Earning an honorable mention is Roland Azurin with 27 survey days. These three divers are absolute workhorses and great mentors to our less experienced surveyors. Congratulations also goes out to our Rookie of the Year, Saam Shams, with 15 survey days. Saam was fully committed to improving his survey skills this year by diving as much as he could and his hard work totally paid off!

2025* Reef Check Data in Action

*using 2024 or earlier data

Scientific reports and papers

• Drivers of spatiotemporal variability in a marine foundation species. Ecological Applications, February 2025. Anita Giraldo-Ospina, Tom Bell, Mark H. Carr, Jennifer E. Caselle
• Kelp in the Salish Sea: Spatial Patterns of Persistence, Loss, and Data Gaps Using a Harmonized Dataset. WWU Graduate School Collection, Spring 2025. Lamai S. Larsen
• How establishing a marine protected area network has shaped community and citizen science along California’s coast. Frontiers in Marine Science, May 2025. Todd A. Harwell, Ryan M. Meyer and Heidi L. Ballard
• Multiscale analysis of zooarchaeological data to reconstruct past kelp forest productivity for the Northern Channel Islands, California U.S.A.. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, May 2025. Jeremy D. McFarland, Amira F. Ainis, Christopher S. Jazwa
• Reef Check Washington Report: The State of Kelp Forests in Puget Sound 2023-25. Reef Check Foundation, June 2025. Jan Freiwald, Jackie Selbitschka, Dan Abbott
• Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring California Report 2024. Reef Check Foundation, June 2025. Jan Freiwald, Dan Abbott, Annie Bauer-Civiello
• Developing a Status and Trends Assessment for Floating Kelp Canopies across Large Geographic Areas. Environmental Science & Technology, November 2025. Christina A. Frieder, Tom W. Bell, Helen Berry, Kyle Cavanaugh, Danielle C. Claar, Jan Freiwald, Benjamin Grime, Sara Hamilton, Henry F. Houskeeper, Nicholas Lombardo, Scott Marion, Tristin Anoush McHugh, Gray McKenna, P. Ed Parnell, Pike Spector, Stephen B. Weisberg
• Creating a global kelp forest conservation fundraising target: A 14-billion-dollar investment to “help the kelp”. Biological Conservation, January 2026. Aaron M. Eger, Julia K. Baum, Tom Campbell, Bruno Cevallos Gil, Hannah S. Earp, Annalisa Falace, Jan Freiwald, Sara Hamilton, Steve I. Lonhart, Keith Rootsaert, Makena Åsa Rush, Jasmin Schuster, Brian Timmer, Adriana Vergés
• Synthesis of Existing Data: A report from the 2024-2026 kelp resilience project.  Washington State Department of Natural Resources, December 2025. Claar et al.

Scientific Presentations (Western Society of Naturalists, November, 2025)

• Pycnopa ooza! A case study in the rapid mobilization to document and capture sunflower star recovery. Rachael Karm
• Looking into the crystal ball: Forecasting future kelp hotspots and coldspots in California. A.C. Balbar
• From collapse to comeback: Evaluation combined techniques for rapid kelp forest recovery. T.A. McHugh
• On the road from wasting to recovery: Sunflower sea star eDNA characterization and survivorship studies in California. A. Kidd
• Get to work: Updates on Oregon’s expanding kelp forest restoration program. S.L. Hamilton
• Extreme marine heatwaves onset kelp forest alternative stable states in Baja California, Mexico. J. Bauer
• Eyes on Kelp: Environmental monitoring of Puget Sound bull kelp forests to improve restoration. K.M. Inch
• ROV Surveys within kelp forests and open-source Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to (1) process survey images and (2) extract data. Z. Randell
• Can fish keep supplying micronutrients in changing coastal ecosystems?. P. Filz
• Heatwave Impact on Fish Community Changes in Northern and Central CA. Annie Bauer-Civiello
• SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN KELP COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE SALISH SEA. Jackie Selbitschka
• Diving for Data: Citizen Science and Oregon Kelp Forest Restoration (poster). Faith Townsend

By Morgan Murphy-Cannella, Director of Education Program

This year has been one of our most impactful yet, with Dive into Science programs flourishing across the state of California. From the North Coast to Southern California, Tribal communities, foster youth, and emerging ocean leaders gained hands-on experience in diving, marine science and ocean stewardship.

The Ghvtlh-k’vsh shu’-srnelh-‘i~ (Kelp Guardians) program with Tolowa Dee-ni’ achieved major milestones this year, completing the Advanced scuba certification including their first ocean and boat dives. Participants strengthened their skills in deep diving, navigation, ocean safety and advanced shore diving, all of which are foundational for a strong scientific dive team in the rough waters of Northern California and Southern Oregon. We are excited to support this group as they work towards their AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) and Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring courses next season.

Our North Coast Tribal Community program had a standout year, with a new group of participants completing both Open Water and Advanced scuba certifications. Participants learned sustainable scallop harvesting techniques and are preparing for Rescue Diver training in the coming year. Youth also participated in tide pool education and abalone population survey training, connecting scientific monitoring to Traditional Knowledge and cultural practices. In partnership with the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo, we introduced pathways into marine science and restoration careers, supporting a future workforce in ocean stewardship. We anticipate welcoming a new group of youth divers next season as the program continues to grow.

In Southern California, our Chumash and Tongva Community program reached advanced milestones this year, completing their Rescue Diver Certification and the Reef Check Kelp Forest Monitoring course in the gorgeous kelp forests of Pimu (Catalina Island). Participants gained scientific diving survey skills that will directly support the development of a Tribally-led kelp forest monitoring program. We are excited to continue to build on their technical scientific dive skills by completing an AAUS course in Spring 2026!

In Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley, our foster youth initiative continues to thrive with two full cohorts completing Open Water and Advanced certifications this season. Participants experienced unforgettable hands-on stewardship trips to the Channel Islands, practicing proficiency and species ID dives at both Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands helping them build confidence and teamwork amongst the cohort. Youth attended the Seaweed Festival in Long Beach, an event that brought together scientists, kelp restoration practitioners, Tribal leaders and ocean advocates. This event broadened their perspectives and helped envision future roles in ocean and climate leadership.

Across all programs, Dive into Science continues to expand equitable access to scuba training, marine science education and ocean stewardship. This season showcases the power of community, partnership and culturally-relevant science education.

Thank you to our funders and partners: California Ocean Protection Council and Sea Grant, The Coastal Conservancy, California Coastal Commission, California Natural Resources Agency, California State Parks, Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo, Tolowa Dee-ni’, Sunken Seaweeds, Cal Poly Humboldt, Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI), and Stepping Forward LA.

Want an excuse to run into cold water and help protect reefs and kelp forests at the same time? We’ve got you. Reef Check and our friends at Surf-fur are teaming up for the Reef Check “Freeze Off” Challenge – a global plunge party to raise awareness (and funds!) for ocean conservation.

1. Grab your ticket
Each ticket supports Reef Check’s coral reef and kelp forest monitoring and gets you entered into a giveaway featuring prizes from awesome ocean-loving brands (think Surf-fur parkas, dive gear, underwater phone housings, reef-safe hair + skin care, and more!) 

2. Recruit your plunge crew
Friends, family, dive buddies, surf pals, co-workers… anyone who’s up for a quick cold-water dash. Make it part of a holiday gathering or New Year tradition, then challenge 3 more people to plunge!

3. Pick your plunge spot
Ocean, lake, river, backyard kiddie pool – if it’s chilly and splashable, it counts.

4. Plunge + post for the planet
Take the plunge, snap a photo or video, and share it on social media with #reefcheck #surffur #freezeoff for an extra chance to win. 

Why this matters

Our oceans are in crisis:
– Coral reefs are experiencing mass bleaching at record scales. 
– Kelp forests along the West Coast have declined dramatically in some regions. 

But there’s good news: reefs and kelp forests can still recover if we reduce stress and support restoration. Reef Check’s citizen scientists collect the long-term data managers need to act fast and smart when ecosystems are in trouble. Your chilly plunge helps keep that work going. 

So… are you in?
👉 Join the Reef Check x Surf-fur Freeze Off Challenge

Thank you for being part of our community and for doing something a little wild for the oceans we love.

I’ll take the plunge!

We have lined up some amazing talks for you to get your Reef Check fix over the long winter months. The following is what’s ahead for our Winter Webinar Series. Click the links below to register and add them to your calendar!

January 13th 6-7p PST: Kelp Communities across Puget Sound Basins- Register Here
Reef Check kelp forest monitoring expanded into Washington in 2022. Analysis from these first years of surveys show distinct regional kelp forest communities of fish, invertebrate and kelps within sub-basins of Puget Sound. Join us for an evening of exploring the data and analysis of your survey efforts. 

February 11th 6-7p PST: Community Based Restoration- Register Here
In response to widespread kelp bed loss to urchin barrens following the Marine Heat Wave in 2014, Reef Check introduced restoration efforts. The goal was to test if a reduction in herbivores (urchins) will facilitate kelp re-growth at several locations in central and northern California. Join us to learn about how these strategies have affected the kelp beds at two sites in California: Tankers Reef, Monterey and Casper Reef, Mendocino County. 

March 10th 6-7p PST: Oregon Restoration- Register Here
For the 2025 season Reef Check Oregon partnered with Oregon Kelp Alliance to implement restoration efforts and survey protocols. Learn about this partnership and how these efforts are helping restore the kelp beds along the Oregon Coast.

April 7th 6-7p PST: California Fish and the Marine Heat Wave- Register Here
The Marine Heat Wave from 2014-16 had large scale impacts on kelp beds along the California coast. Take a deep dive into the 20-year Reef Check data set showing how fish assemblages changed from before to after the marine heat wave.

By Brad Giles, Reef Check Hawai’i Coordinator

Members of Reef Check’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Program ventured partway across the Pacific to Kailua Kona, Hawai’i to become EcoDivers and help support coral reef resiliency in the state of Hawai’i. The team completed their academics and field training and then conducted four surveys along the Kona coast. We capped off the week of diving with the world-famous Manta Ray Night Dive. A special thanks to the team at Kona Diving Company for providing vessel and crew support!

With the diving complete, the team had a dry day before flying back to the mainland. What better way to spend it than by heading to the ‘Āko’ako’a Coral Nursery. We learned about coral restoration efforts, toured the facility, and even got to feed coral! A special thank you to ‘Āko’ako’a and Arizona State University for sharing information about their restoration efforts.

To Amanda, Chao, Elizabeth, Mark, Jaimee, and Sean—congratulations on becoming Reef Check EcoDivers and thank you for attending the inaugural Kelp Forest Crossover Training Program! When those Pacific Northwest and California waters get a little too refreshing, we look forward to you surveying with us again in our beautiful Hawaiian waters.