Coral Restoration FoundationDivers can get hands-on during a coral reef restoration dive in The Florida Keys.
Whether on vacation in The Florida Keys or elsewhere, once you’ve witnessed the incredible beauty of a healthy coral reef, it’s only natural to want to know more about how to protect one of nature’s most impressive–and vitally important–wonders.
Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the seafloor but support roughly 25% of the planet’s known marine life. And divers are uniquely armed with the skills and passion to protect them when they volunteer to help with coral reef restoration efforts during a vacation.
The Florida Keys and the Florida Reef Tract, part of the third-largest barrier reef system in the world, are one of the most accessible places to enjoy a road trip to dive and play while also contributing to coral reef restoration efforts. Think: work some, play a lot and help immeasurably.
Coral Reef Restoration Experiences in Key Largo
Start at the top of the island chain, in Key Largo, known for excellent snorkeling and diving within John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, as well as relaxation at waterfront restaurants and scenic resorts angled perfectly for sunset.
Here, the Coral Restoration Foundation runs year-round guided snorkel and dive programs in partnership with local operators in Key Largo to give you a hands-on reef restoration experience visiting coral nurseries and helping with outplanting on reefs.
Coral Restoration FoundationThe Coral Restoration Foundation gives you the opportunity to visit coral nurseries and help with outplanting on reefs.
In 2025, more than 1,300 divers and snorkelers took part in such CRF programs. And while people come to dive, they leave with a greater sense of purpose, says Katie Hall, CRF education field coordinator.
“You’re not just seeing the reef, you’re immediately contributing to its recovery. And then when you share that experience with your family and friends, you extend your impact well beyond the dive,” she says.
Coral Reef Restoration Experiences in Islamorada
In Islamorada, another beloved diving spot in The Florida Keys (not to mention a favorite for topside fun like kayaking, art walks and local breweries), coral reef restoration nonprofit, I.CARE, provides same-day training to get you out on the reefs and helping.
Together with a guide, you’ll transplant coral and sponges in locations where they can thrive. It’s an experience participants find extremely rewarding, says Katie Barnes, I.CARE education and outreach coordinator.
Reanna Jeanes, I.CAREVolunteer divers secure coral fragments to the reef, helping protect coral reefs through active restoration efforts.
“Being able to physically contribute to this mission really makes an impact on people and gives them a purpose to give back to the wonderful ocean that all of us divers call a second home,” she says.
I.CARE partners with three dive shops across the Upper Keys for coral transplant dives (every Saturday and the third Sunday of the month) and also organizes weekly maintenance dives to keep outplanted corals free of algae.
Coral Reef Restoration Experiences in Marathon and The Lower Keys
Operating across sites in the Upper and Lower Florida Keys, Reef Renewal USA relies on partnerships with locals as well as volunteers from much further afield who make time for coral restoration efforts during their vacations.
Individuals, students and groups can all volunteer to get involved with coral reef restoration at Reef Renewal’s regional nurseries in Tavernier as well as Looe Key near Big Pine Key, located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
“I’ve been taking volunteer divers out to work in coral nurseries and outplant corals onto the reef for over 20 years and without exception everyone leaves with a new sense of hope and awareness,” says Ken Nedimyer, Reef Renewal’s director of research and restoration science.
Shane Wever, Reef Renewal USAVolunteer divers help rebuild reef ecosystems one fragment at a time.
Dive operators and other organizations across The Keys get involved with coral restoration, too.
Every summer, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium runs SCUBAnauts programs for teens as well as the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge, where participants gather to plant corals in special restoration areas in The Florida Keys. Mote Marine Laboratory also offers coral reef restoration experiences for divers from Key Largo to Key West through their partnership with Scubapro. This community science dive program gives recreational divers and snorkelers the opportunity to get hands-on with coral restoration efforts. Florida drivers can even purchase Mote’s Protect Our Reefs license plate as a way to make a donation to the cause.
On Summerland Key in The Lower Florida Keys, Plant a Million Corals is holding a ribbon-cutting in May of 2026 for a new coral nursery that uses micro-fragmentation techniques to grow corals 25 to 40 times faster than they do in nature.
And on Looe Key, Captain Hook’s Marina and Dive Center offers two specialty certifications as single-day programs to help with reef restoration–Coral Reef Preservation Diver and Advanced Coral Reef Outplant Diver–during which participants learn how to fragment and clean corals, among other skills.
Coral Reef Restoration Experiences in Key West
Farther down the island chain, in Key West, divers can also get involved in coral reef restoration through programs run by the Coral Restoration Foundation in partnership with Southpoint Divers.
Coral Restoration FoundationHelping out with coral restoration on your dive vacation in The Florida Keys is a extremely rewarding.
Eco-Friendly Dive Operators in The Florida Keys
Even if you don’t manage to get into the water to outplant a staghorn fragment during your vacation, making sure to choose eco-focused dive and tour operators plays a big part in preserving what makes The Florida Keys so special–both underwater and at the surface. No effort is too small when it comes to making the underwater world that much more beautiful and healthier for marine life and future generations to come.
