Providencia Reef Repair

This expedition is for experienced scuba divers or certified Reef Check EcoDivers divers who want to assist with coral gardening projects around the world. You will upgrade your Meaningful Diving training to Reef Repair Diver. After completing the program, you will understand when active reef restoration is required;  describe how we are trying to bring coral reefs back to life; be able to stock, maintain and monitor corals in underwater nurseries; be able to outplant nursery-grown corals with cement at restoration sites.

In this expedition, you will be trained by the team who implemented  Colombia’s largest coral reef rehabilitation project, the Reef for All project, at the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. In its first year of the Reef for All project, eight underwater rope nurseries were built with the capacity to grow at least 16,000 fragments of different coral reef species. The initial stock was 13468 fragments of four species of hard corals. In 2018 we started outplanting nursery-grown corals and by January 2020, we have outplanted 6522 nursery-grown corals, which has resulted in an average increase of 41% in live coral cover at intervened sites and an ecological footprint (area in rehabilitation) of ca 4.5 hectares.

In the Providencia Reef Repair you will be certified as Reef Repair Diver

If this is your first time attending a Reef Repair expedition and you have more than 30 logged dives,  you will receive field training to finish your  Reef Repair Diver certification. You will live a true coral gardening experience lead by experience reef restoration practitioners and scientists, where you will how to apply best practices for active conservation of coral reefs that can achieve measurable results in improving the condition of this ecosystem.  This course allows you to receive Corales de Paz´s pioneering  Reef Repair Diver certification. This is also a step into our Responsible Diving System and its Meaningful Diving Universe, a minimum set of concepts and skills which we believe you need to start helping build resilient coral reefs.

You must complete and pass the knowledge component before joining this field program. Sign up for the Discover Reef Repair or Reef Repair Diver e-learning programs today! 

¿Are you already a Reef Repair Diver?

Congratulations! You can start assisting us in the rehabilitation of San Andres´s coral reefs. As a certified Reef Repair Diver you will carry out at least three (3) coral gardening tasks including a) stocking up a coral nursery, b) cleaning and maintaining coral nurseries, and c) outplanting coral with cement. Finally, the activities carried out will support to restoration efforts undertaken in Providencia by Corales de Paz and partners in the Archipelago. Looking to get certified as a Reef Repair Diver Trainer? The Reef Repair dives completed on this expedition will help you qualify for your Reef Repair trainer course as well as continue your meaningful diving development as a responsible diver!

As a Reef Repair expedition team member in this expedition you can expect to:

See, experience or learn how we are using the coral gardening approach to rehabilitate coral reefs in Providencia and abroad.

Outplant coral under the leadership and guidance of experienced coral reef restoration practitioners, and assist with national and international efforts to restore coral reefs.

Participate in other socio-ecological activities to experience how the local community lives and is protecting its island, including a nature walk around the Peak and a visit to the National Natural Park Old Providence McBeam Lagoon.

Meet more people like you who are committed to improving their diving experience and making of their passion an opportunity to leave a legacy.

Learn more on the Reef Repair Diver Program

*You must have completed and passed the theory component of the Reef Repair Diver program.
**To become a member of Corales de Paz visit this link

¿Not a Reef Repair Diver Yet?

If you are not one yet, you can start your training today by signing up for the Reef Repair Diver Course and then join as a Reef Repair Diver candidate to complete your certification in coral reef gardening during the expedition. However, you must complete and pass the knowledge component before joining this field program. Sign up for the Reef Repair Diver e-learning program today!