Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire is happy to announce that it received one-time funding from the Dutch government to further develop the foundation’s activities.

The CRF Bonaire project started in 2012 with the original support of Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire and the Coral Restoration Foundation USA. The foundation’s main goal is to increase awareness of the need to restore coral on Bonaire. The foundation's goal is to increase involvement of the dive community, develop a world-class nursery site to attract international attention and increas production of corals and the development of at least four snorkel accessible sites to increase visibility and generate income for the foundation. All this will eventually lead to the most important objective: develop a more structural manner of funding and become a financially independent foundation.

Today, the foundation consists of three partners: Buddy Dive, Eden Beach and Harbour Village. With the government funding the foundation can purchase some important basics like a dedicated CRF boat and car and make a big step toward becoming an independent, financially self-supporting foundation. The first step has been made, with the purchase of a dedicated car. Another investment the foundation would like to do with the funding is to set up a restoration site accessible to snorkelers at the cruise terminal. By creating awareness and extending accessibility the foundation hopes to involve more tourists, other than only divers. Other individual donations and the ‘Adopt a Coral’ program will stay vital to the further development of the foundation into the future.

So far the Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire installed four nurseries, consisting of 70 trees with a hosting capacity of 9,000 corals. More than 8,000 corals have been already transplanted back to the reef and, thanks to the government funding, the foundation will plant 4,000 more corals within the next year. A PADI Coral Restoration Diver Distinctive Specialty Course was developed in order to train volunteers and already 350 divers received their certification. The goal is to increase these numbers and doubling the transplanted corals in the next couple of years.

For more on diving in Bonaire, visit Buddy Dive's website.