Rescue a Reef Program

// Color integrity 🎨 🪸
 
Why do raws and edits look so different in underwater photos?
 
Water filters out color as you descend - reds and oranges disappear first, leaving everything looking blue and green. It’s also why most coral growth happens in shallow water, where sunlight can still reach the reef and fuel the algae that gives coral its color.
 
The deeper you go, the less light (and the less color!) survives the journey. Editing doesn’t add anything that wasn’t there, it just brings back the colors that were lost along the way!

📸: Maeve ☆ a UM Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science undergraduate and Canon Coral Conservation tudent Fellow. Shot on Canon USA G1X Mark III

// Feedbreak!
 
Take a break from scrolling to enjoy some scenes from the reef! From branching corals to boulder corals, our team works with more than 10 different species to restore Florida’s Coral Reef. 🪸
 
Check out the link in our bio to learn more about our programming and how you can dive in! 🌊

// Subtitles to share the story of restoration 🎬

This summer, we’ve been planting boulder corals as part of a thermal bleaching study. By learning which species best survive and recover from thermal stress, we can improve coral restoration techniques! 🪸

Want to join us on an expedition? Join our email list through the LinkTree in our bio to get updated about upcoming public events! 🔗

// We’re getting bleached.

This September, we’re joining organizations like Coral Reef Alliance Coral Restoration Foundation example in bleaching our logo.

Our reefs are running a fever. As ocean temperatures rise, corals become stressed and expel the tiny algae that give them color and energy, causing them to turn white.

It isn’t just about colors. Repeated bleaching events account for more than 75% of the total decline of reef-building capacity in the Florida Keys. Events like this can push corals from building new reefs to losing the reefs they’ve already built.

But bleaching isn’t the end - corals can recover. This Month, help us spread the word and give reefs a fighting chance. To join the movement, visit coralbleaching.com 🪸

_________________________

Toth LT and Courtney TA (2026) Repeated coral bleaching events have eroded reef accretion potential in the Florida Keys

// Let’s get trashy! 🗑️🌊
 
Every September, millions of volunteers hit coastlines around the world for the Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup — the largest single-day volunteer cleanup effort for our beaches and coasts. Last year alone, volunteers removed over 25,000 pounds of trash from shorelines across the entire globe!

Come get trashy with us at Rickenbacker Marina on Saturday, September 19th at 10AM — and help us make an impact right here in Miami!  
 
Register using the ICC link in our bio. Sea you there! 🪸

// Want to become a BleachWatch Observer?

BleachWatch is a citizen science program that trains divers to monitor coral bleaching across Florida’s reefs — and joining is free.
To get certified, complete the online learning through the SEAFAN BleachWatch website, or sign up for an in-person training session.
Once certified, you can join members of our team on “Mini Mission” dives at Divers Paradise - recreational dives where our team conducts live BleachWatch surveys. These dives are organized and led by the Divers Paradise team, not Rescue a Reef, but you’ll have members of our crew on the water with you.
Find upcoming Mini Mission dives on the Divers Paradise website, and visit the FDEP website to learn more about SEAFAN BleachWatch.
Every survey counts. 🌊

// Coral restoration at every level 🪸

Rescue a Reef is working day and night to protect coral reefs through a wide range of restoration methods. Wether we are working on land or underwater, our team is committed to researching and utilizing the best methods to conserve and protect Florida’s coral reefs.

🎨: Delaney McEvoy UM Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science Canon USA Coral Conservation Fellow

// The reef doesn’t fit in the frame. 🪸

And neither does the work it takes to protect it. From coral restoration to underwater exploration, every moment beneath the surface reminds us why there’s so much worth protecting.

🎨: Audrey Friedman, UM Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science Canon USA Coral Conservation Fellow