Reef Repair Diver

This coral gardening training course is designed to give you an understanding of coral reef restoration and the skills necessary to participate in coral reef restoration project around the world.

In the coral gardening focused Reef Repair Diver course you will learn all about the coral gardening approach as well as how to identify when it is required to embark on coral reef restoration, stock up coral nurseries, maintain underwater coral nurseries, outplant nursery-grown corals, and monitor the survival of coral fragments and outplants following Corales de Paz´s Reef Repair system to upscale coral reef restoration. This course will allow you to join the Reef Repair team and assist in coral gardening projects around the world.

Progression of Reef Repair Diver Program Reef Repair Colombia

Overview: 10-hour e-learning plus -day field training program with Reef Repair Diver kit. This is an intensive certification course designed to teach individuals everything that is needed to conduct Reef Repair dives for coral reef restoration. The course will include a background in the coral gardening approach as well as coral gardening training for stocking, maintenance, monitoring, and outplanting corals applicable to worldwide restoration efforts. Includes both classroom and fieldwork.

Theory component: 10-hours in-person or e-learning session where you learn about the fundamentals of coral reefs. This includes their function, importance, reef ecology, and the characteristics of resilient coral reefs for effective reef restoration/rehabilitation interventions.

You’ll then go on to learn about the driving forces behind the decline of coral reefs and what measures are being taken to halt this decline, in order to ensure that there continue to be functional coral reefs.

Next, the course continues with an introduction to reef restoration and current best practices for increasing reef resilience. This includes defining available alternatives for coral reef restoration/rehabilitation, exploring the evidence from empirical and published research, and examining field-based structures and strategies that increase reef resilience.

Finally, you will understand the coral gardening concept. This includes the tools, terminology, key concepts, and tasks used in the field for coral reef restoration with coral gardening.

E-Learning Ready

Start your training today! Complete and pass the knowledge component of our meaningful diving programs and get certified any time at a field program.

E-learning Only	Starts: Every two weeks Duration: 10 hours long, five 2-hour sessions Cost: $115
E-learning + Field Program	Starts: Every two weeks + dates of the field program Duration: 10 hours + duration of the field program Cost: $60 with any qualifying field program*

*E-learning must be completed and passed before joining a field program; join as Reef Repair Diver candidate

Fieldwork: Knowledge (e-learning) component must be completed and passed before starting any fieldwork. At any qualifying field program, you will conduct two land and five open water sessions. You will start with a check-up session to test your swimming and or SCUBA diving skills. Next, you will learn to build and stock up a coral nursery followed by a practice of nursery cleaning and maintenance. Then, you will have a double practice of coral outplanting with cement and other techniques for fixing corals onto the reef. Finally, you will experience monitoring the survival and condition of coral fragments and outplants as an indicator of project success.

Check off the Join a Field Program tab to find a Reef Repair expedition to get certified at your next diving destination! If you are already a Reef Repair Diver and would like to apply your skills you can find other Reef Repair expeditions to continue building your career in the Meaningful Diving Universe.

Prerequisites: To enroll in this program the participant must be:

• a certified open water scuba diver (PADI, SSI, or any recognized agency) with 30 or more logged dives, OR
• a certified advanced scuba diver with buoyancy control specialty certification (e.g.SSI Perfect Buoyancy or PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy), AND
• a certified Reef Check EcoDiver or a diver with proven experience in coral reef monitoring.

Materials: E-learning only does not include materials nor certification. Reef Repair  Diver Kit provided by the trainer as part of the field program.

Testing and Certification: Knowledge test (80%) – completed and passed before joining any field program, field test (80%), and signing of Environmental Agreement for Responsible Diving practice to obtain certification card. Certification card qualifies the holder to participate in active coral reef conservation efforts using the coral gardening approach around the world and identifies him as a responsible reef use ambassador. A digital certification card is available for sharing on your social media.

Check our Meaningful Diving Universe and discover more programs to gain the knowledge and skills to start helping build resilient coral reefs while diving.

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