As the summer heat looms, Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) is gearing up for its annual World Oceans Day celebration — Coralpalooza. But this year, for the first time in its nine-year history, this hands-on, reef-saving event is shifting its focus.
Historically, Coralpalooza in the Keys has been focused on coral outplanting — returning nursery-raised corals to the degraded reefs where these animals once thrived.
In years past, Coralpalooza would see more than a thousand corals returned to degraded reefs in Florida in a single day. However, because of the number of corals that were lost during the global bleaching event in the summer of 2023, and in anticipation of another summer of ecological disturbances, CRF has paused the majority of its outplanting work in 2024.
From June 6-8, Coralpalooza will instead see armies of recreational divers in the Upper Keys and Key West spending three full days working alongside the CRF coral crew in the world’s largest open ocean coral nurseries, helping to care for the corals that survived the 2023 bleaching event.
“In 2023 we lost around half of the 50,000 corals we were raising in the ocean. This year, our restoration program is almost entirely devoted to rebuilding coral stock and preparing for another potentially challenging summer,” said Roxane Boonstra, CRF dive training administrator and the coordinator of Coralpalooza. “Coralpalooza 2024 dive days are going to look a bit different, but they have never been so important. We are at an inflection point that will determine the future of these critical ecosystems. … We need everyone to be paying attention and to get involved.”
The Keys’ Coralpalooza has now grown into an international movement for coral reefs. In 2023 alone, over 15,200 new corals were returned to wild habitats across the globe, thanks to the efforts of more than 20 organizations from 13 countries, from Australia to Colombia, Hawaii to Indonesia.
In Florida, with Coralpalooza dive days now fully booked, CRF is inviting everyone to join them for a week of fun, social, land-based events. The celebrations kick off on Friday, June 1 with Captain Coral at the CRF Coral Village at Zoo Miami. Then, a “Sips n’ Science” evening is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the CRF Exploration Center at 5 Seagate Blvd., Key Largo. Attendees will enjoy complimentary drinks while learning from experts in marine science. Tampa Bay Brewing Company will also be there providing samples of their craft beers.
On World Oceans Day, Saturday, June 8, CRF is inviting everyone back to the Exploration Center for an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities include hands-on coral outplanting demonstrations, a coral slime workshop, a virtual reality restoration dive, a create-your-own “reef art” session, various interactive learning stations, and fun photo opportunities.
The unique focus of Coralpalooza 2024 dive days – tending to the corals that survived the bleaching in 2023 – can be a reminder of the need to protect and restore our coral reefs and, in turn, safeguard the communities that rely on them.
