On June 4, Coral Restoration Foundation hosted its second annual Coralpalooza. The event, formerly known as Plantapalooza was held to celebrate World Oceans Day and raise awareness for our coral reefs. Seventeen boats filled with more than 200 divers, from volunteers to partners to Coral Restoration Foundation team members participated in the event, which spanned from South Florida to the Caribbean. During Saturday’s events, teams outplanted 1,865 corals of staghorn and elkhorn onto 11 different reef restoration sites. Divers also conducted routine maintenance in offshore Coral Tree Nurseries and collected valuable citizen scientist data on the growth and mortality of previously outplanted corals on multiple reefs, including Carysfort Reef and White Bank Reef.

World Oceans Day is internationally celebrated every year on June 8 and Coral Restoration Foundation’s Coralpalooza has helped bring greater recognition to this date and present ocean conservation as a critical issue for our earth. The theme for this year’s World Oceans Day is “healthy ocean, healthy planet,” a theme that can be carried forward after June 8 and an ideal that Coral Restoration Foundation promotes daily.

Coral Restoration Foundation hopes events like Coralpalooza will bring awareness to the importance of restoration, preservation, and conservation for our reefs and the world’s oceans. This event is made possible with the support of volunteers and partners including: Mote Marine Laboratory, University of Miami Rescue A Reef, Nova Southeastern University Coral Nursery Initiative, Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire and Coral Restoration Foundation Curacao.

Coral Restoration Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ocean conservation organization headquartered in Key Largo, Florida working to restore our coral reefs, educating others on the importance of our oceans, and using science to further research and monitoring techniques. To donate or learn more about Coral Restoration Foundation, visit its website or call (305) 453-7030.