Learn to Monitor Health of Coral Reefs
You can become a marine protector and help to monitor the health of corals reefs using the Coral Health Chart and earn yourself a PADI Distinctive Specialty course certification.
This PADI Distinctive Specialty course is a collaboration between PADI AWARE and Coral Watch, both non-profit organisations, and the 1-day course helps students learn how to become citizen scientists by contributing data on reef health to a global database.
Become a Marine Protector
CoralWatch aims to get more people involved in collecting data on Coral Reef health, and to help increase awareness of the plight of Coral Reefs, coral bleaching, and climate change.
Included in our Coral watch Health course
- CoralWatch Health Chart
- Coralwatch data sheet
- AWARE Manual, Our World, Our Water
- Coral Reef & Climate Change workbook
- PADI AWARE – 10 ways divers can protect the marine environment
- PADI AWARE – 10 tips for underwater photography
- 2 Open Water training dives
- Dive Insurance
- Max 4 students per PADI Dive Instructor
- Full set of Aqualung rental equipment including a Dive Computer for your course
- Official Isla Tortuga Divers T-shirt
- PADI certification card
Prerequisites for the Coral Watch Specialty course
- Minimum certification: Junior Open Water Diver
- Minimum Age: 10 years
- Maximum Depth: 18 metres/60 feet
- Recent diving experience – scuba review if you have not dived in the last 12 months
- Medically fit to dive
** For a non-diver, we can complete this certification course by completing the practical element with snorkel sessions instead of scuba dives.
1 Day Coral Watch Specialty course
The Coralwatch Specialty course is conducted over two sections; theory and practical.
Knowledge Development
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Students need to attend all the presentations and instructor-led knowledge development
- Create a Coralwatch profile on the Coralwatch website to submit survey data
- Learn how to conduct and complete a full survey, submit the data and compare data with existing data
Open Water training sessions – 2 Open Water dives
Learning objectives for Coral Watch Health specialty course
- Coral Reef Knowledge: Gain a solid understanding of coral reef ecosystems, their vital role in the ocean, and the current threats they face.
- Coral Health Monitoring: Learn how to identify different coral growth forms and recognize signs of coral bleaching, which is a major threat to their health.
- Coral Watch Methodology: Master the technique of conducting a Coral Health Survey using the CoralWatch Coral Health Chart, a tool for assessing coral health.
- Data Contribution: Understand the importance of contributing your collected data to the global CoralWatch database, which is critical for scientific research and marine conservation efforts.
- Explain the ecological importance of coral reefs and their role in marine biodiversity.
- Identify various coral morphologies (shapes and structures) commonly found in reefs.
- Recognize the signs and causes of coral bleaching.
- Describe the different categories on the CoralWatch Coral Health Chart used to assess coral health.
- Demonstrate proper survey techniques for effectively evaluating coral health using the CoralWatch Chart.
- Explain the data collection process and how to upload your findings to the CoralWatch database.
- Understand the significance of contributing data to the global database for coral reef research and conservation.
By achieving these objectives, you will become a citizen scientist empowered to contribute valuable information to coral reef conservation efforts.
Open Water training dives for CoralWatch
Your CoralWatch Open Water training dives will be conducted at suitable dive sites around Koh Tao. The choice of dive sites will depend on multiple environmental factors including weather and our current diving schedule.
Information for PADI AWARE CoralWatch Specialty course
This marine conservation specialty course equips students with the knowledge and skills to independently complete CoralWatch surveys, as a diver or as a snorkeler.
PADI AWARE CoralWatch Specialty Course Schedule
You will meet your instructor at 9am ready for the class presentations and instructor-led orientation that includes completion of your paperwork and the PADI medical statement.
09:00 – 11:00: Orientation & Knowledge Development
12:15 – 17:00: Two Open Water training dives to conduct two surveys and collect data
17:00 – 18:00: Complete the steps to report your data from both surveys and upload to the global CoralWatch database.
Upon completion of all the course requirements you will be certified as a PADI AWARE CoralWatch diver.
CoralWatch Specialty courses Open Water training dives
CoralWatch training dives are scientific dives, and dives can be longer than recreational dives, and students will be task-loaded with a coral health chart, a data slate, dive torch, and be expected to manage their buoyancy impeccably.
CoralWatch Survey Dive 1 in Open Water
On dive 1 your specialty diving instructor will assess your buoyancy to ensure your diver skills are good enough to be collecting data around coral reefs.
After evaluation of your buoyancy skills, and we are confident they are good enough, the first random survey can begin and using the coral health chart, you will be asked to identify suitable corals, their growth forms, and their color to help determine if any bleaching is evident.
We will ask you to conduct a random survey in a selected area and using the slate provided, to document the level of bleaching on corals that you find.
Throughout the training dives, you will be asked to remain a safe distance from the coral reefs to demonstrate proper buoyancy while conducting the survey and taking notes.
CoralWatch Survey Dive 2 in Open Water
On dive 2 you will conduct a second survey to collect data on coral growth forms, the level of coral bleaching seen, whilst demonstrating a high level of best practice diving skills.
Both dives include collecting data on healthy corals in addition to bleached corals, and your dive instructor will discuss the level of bleaching observed, reef health, and how to use the coral health chart to measure this.
After completing both dives, your instructor will also debrief on everything learned and discuss any problems encountered on the dives and how it can be improved next time.
Upon completion of two CoralWatch Open Water dives (or an extended snorkeling session) and submission of your data, you will be certified as a PADI AWARE CoralWatch specialty diver.
PADI AWARE CoralWatch – Learn about Coral Bleaching
CoralWatch work alongside volunteers worldwide and through education ensure that present and future generations understand the importance of coral reefs and how climate change is affecting this.
The Coral Health chart is an easy-to-use tool to help monitor the health of coral reefs by using color as a guide to determine the health of different coral species.
The chart uses different colors and numbers to represent the different stages of coral bleaching and coral reef recovery.
All certified divers should take their responsibility towards coral reefs one step further and become a certified PADI AWARE CoralWatch specialty diver.
Join the global movement and submit your coral reef health survey data now.
Koh Tao is a great location to go fun diving and explore our PADI Specialty courses. With our expert PADI diving instructors and divemasters, custom dive boat and quality dive equipment, Isla Tortuga Divers can meet the needs of all certified divers.
Contact us for fun dive pricing, our Air Conditioned Rooms or Shared Rooms and our daily dive site schedule.
