Divers Leading the Charge: Reef Restoration with Dive Desk and Neville Shulman Earthwatch Awards 2019
- Dive Desk
- Dec 25, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 4
Who has access to the underwater world? Divers.
Who witnesses firsthand the impact of climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, and pollution on fragile coral reefs? Divers.
Who must lead the fight to protect these ecosystems before it’s too late? Divers.
At Dive Desk, we believe that divers are not just explorers—they are the frontline guardians of the ocean. That’s why we are committed to supporting motivated divers who want to take action to protect the ocean planet we love.
When Farah Amjad became one of the two fortunate recipients of the Earthwatch Shulman Awards 2019, Dive Desk proudly partnered with her to implement the project, providing guidance, resources, and hands-on involvement.
The project has two main components:
1. Coral Nursery on Thulusdhoo House Reef
A degraded area of the house reef on Thulusdhoo Island in Kaafu Atoll, Maldives, was selected for restoration. The team established environmental baseline conditions, planted corals of diverse morphologies and genetic lineages to enhance reef complexity, monitored larvae settlement rates, and implemented long-term monitoring to track reef recovery.
2. Citizen Science and Community Engagement
Farah employed the globally standardized Reef Check methodology to train local volunteer divers in reef monitoring techniques. Participants learned to identify key indicator fish, invertebrates, and substrates while gaining insight into coral reef ecology. This training, combined with the Coral Nursery Pilot, provided valuable hands-on experience for divers, dive professionals, and Dive Desk students, highlighting the importance of active participation in marine conservation.
About Farah Amjad
Farah is a PADI Divemaster candidate at Dive Desk, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management and currently pursuing a Master’s in Marine Conservation. She has conducted numerous marine surveys and ecological monitoring projects and is dedicated to advancing her knowledge through volunteer work and applied conservation initiatives.
Dive Desk is proud to empower divers like Farah, demonstrating that exploration and conservation can go hand in hand. By participating in projects like this, divers become true ambassadors for the ocean, protecting coral reefs, educating communities, and inspiring others to take meaningful action.
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