Coral Reef Ecology and Monitoring Certification

The reefs surrounding the Hawaiian Islands is teaming with biodiversity and is extraordinarily unique. The Hawaiian islands were created 3-4 million years ago from two principle volcanoes: Waianae and Koolau. Due to the volcanic establishment of this land, all of the life we see in our coastal waters had to traverse half of the pacific to get here. This leads to 25% of all reef organisms being endemic to Hawai'i, meaning they can only be found here and nowhere else. 

This course will give you entry-level knowledge regarding the ecological dynamics of our coral reefs and how to survey the biotic and abiotic components of the reef and monitor changes in the environment. This course is a prerequisite of the Ecological Monitoring Program, (EMP) and can be also be taken by students that do not have time to complete all of the lectures and dives associated with the EMP / Advanced EMP. The goal of this course is to give each students the necessary tools to conduct their own surveys and report the corresponding data back to a variety of online databases.

Prerequisites:

• Be certified under a globally recognized diving agency (PADI, SSI, NAUI etc.)

• Be at an advanced level of diving and demonstrate self-awareness underwater

Standards:

• Gain a better understanding of Hawaiian coral reef ecosystems and the corresponding ecological dynamics

• Understand the various surveying and monitoring methods used throughout the state by federal, university led, and local research initiatives

• Learn the techniques associated with monitoring coral invertebrates OR reef fishes OR substrate composition

Requirements:

• Attend the Hawaiian coral reef ecology and monitoring lecture and one other specialized lecture of your choosing

• Perform at least one of the EMP surveys offered (coral predators, coral disease, invertebrates, reef fishes, substrate composition