Coral Reef Conservation Experience

Hi everyone! I'm Kelly, an 11th grader with a passion for marine life. This summer, I did something truly amazing—I joined a coral restoration project in Tulamben, Bali!

On my first dive here, I was awestruck by the famous USS Liberty shipwreck. But my dive instructor shared a sobering truth: the coral reefs here are suffering from bleaching and damage. As someone who’s learned about ecosystems in biology class, I decided to take action instead of just worrying.

With guidance from Marine Citizens, I and other volunteers: Learned to identify healthy coral fragments Attached them to reef structures using eco-friendly glue Recorded GPS coordinates and growth progress

The proudest moment? Seeing new branches grow on the staghorn coral in my assigned nursery plot! Suddenly, those biology textbook concepts came to life.