From Wonder to Action: A Reef Check Expedition in Indonesia

By Sara Cerri

Reef Check Italia recently completed its 12th annual expedition to Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Participant and newly certified Reef Check EcoDiver Sara Cerri, shares her experience here:

“I remember the very first thought I had as I stepped off the boat that brought us to Bangka Island: ‘Wow, I’m finally here.’

After two days of traveling from Italy, this adventure was about to start. The idea of participating in a marine biology course led by experts in Indonesia had lived in my head like a dream for months. And finally, I was there, waiting with colleagues and friends to work as a team, monitoring the health status of coral reefs by scuba diving in the Coral Triangle: the richest marine place for biodiversity on Earth, the one I had previously only heard about during academic lectures.

I remember the feel of the sand under my toes as I walked toward the entrance of Coral Eye. It was grainy sand, formed by the continuous bioerosion of coral skeletons, a process driven by reef organisms that contributes to the formation of the vast, light-colored sand beaches typical of tropical regions worldwide.

Even along those shorelines, you can already find traces of underwater wonders. A short walk on the beach is a great opportunity to get a glimpse of what is waiting to be explored underwater and to observe how reef organisms behave in shallow waters, especially at night when nocturnal species come out to hunt.

I remember feeling like a visitor in a completely different world compared to the one I usually live in. I was a stranger who had to learn the rules of a new place. Wandering through palm trees to reach the mangrove forest felt like entering another dimension, a place where humans have no control and organisms must adapt to survive in a wild, yet fascinating environment.

Our days were filled with lectures, snorkeling sessions, and dives across the House Reef and many other surrounding dive sites. Learning to identify hard corals down to the genus level using the Coral Finder was one of the most rewarding challenges of the training. Moreover, applying the Reef Check and Coral Watch protocols made us realize how tropical sites should be monitored over time and how interconnected monitoring parameters are. Underwater interconnections are what keep marine ecosystems functional and able to provide vital services. That is why continuous monitoring of tropical reef health in the face of human pressures is so fundamental.

I am coming home enriched with both theoretical and practical knowledge, deeply aware of the threats reefs face when financial gain is prioritized over protecting our common home, which keeps providing us with essential resources and sustains our survival on land.

A final thought goes to the people I bonded with during my stay on Bangka Island. My mind keeps rewinding the joyful moments we shared during dinners, dives, and free time. A shared passion, curiosity, and commitment to marine conservation and environmental awareness fueled our connection, creating an immediate chemistry among us.

I’d like to thank the professors, researchers, and colleagues who were part of this journey. Everyone shared a piece of their personal experience and knowledge, adding new puzzle pieces to who we are.

The Coral Triangle is waiting for the next passionate divers and students ready to help monitor and protect coral reefs in one of the greatest biodiversity hotspots on the planet. Collecting valuable data through standardized protocols is the first crucial step toward effective conservation actions for these fragile environments.”

Reef Check Italia’s next trip will be in Fall 2027; details will be announced in a future newsletter. You can also visit this year’s trip page for more information.