Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao celebrated its first year of operation by outplanting 360 new corals on Curaçao's reefs between May 25 and May 27.

The effort began in May 2015 with 400 coral fragments hanging from 10 coral "trees" located on the house reef of Ocean Encounters Diving and Lions Dive and Beach Resort. These trees provide a safe nurturing environment for fragments of Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis).

The first-year effort saw the installation of another 10 trees, and with fragging activities conducted by CRFC staff, volunteers, local schools and tourists, the nursery grew to contain 1,250 corals. The largest year growth for one staghorn fragment was from an initial 5cm to 263cm! With all of this spectacular growth, the corals were ready to be outplanted to restore the reefs of Curaçao.

To help celebrate our first anniversary, we had Coral Restoration Foundation's Ken Nedimyer (Founder and President) and Denise Nedimyer assisting us with the effort. In total, 360 corals have been transplanted between the Tugboat, Sweet Bottom, and the house reef's of Lions Dive and Sunscape resorts.

”What an amazing year! It's a great feeling to give back to our delicate marine environment, and to realize that together, we can make a difference. The health of our nurseries is extraordinary, and I sincerely believe that we will be able to outplant more than 2000 corals in our 2nd year," said Pol Bosch, CRFC Project Manager.

We want to acknowledge our initial sponsors, Lions Dive and Beach Resort and Curaçao Airport Holding for their donations to help us through the first year. We also want to welcome Maduro & Curiel's Bank (MCB) as new sponsor for the next three years.

Support for this project through sponsorship is integral for success and volunteers will be needed for regular nursery maintenance and care. For donations and more information contact: [email protected].

Want to learn more? Check out our top 10 reasons to dive Curaçao!