Reef Check Conducts First-Ever Kelp Forest Crossover Course in Hawai’i

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.