Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Reef Restoration Foundation at Fitzroy Island. We really appreciate the enthusiasm and passionate support we have had from all.
Presently we have 6 in-situ coral nurseries off the coast of Fitzroy Island they were erected last December and 4 more installed in July.
Our goal is to nurture corals that would be transplanted back into the reef with the coral tree method that is being used effectively in Florida. Unfortunately, foreign objects placed underwater will always be subjected to the settlement of algae and encrusting organism. The algae will ultimately smother the coral nubbins which we would like to prevent.
The volunteers role is in the maintenance and monitoring of the coral trees. Volunteers help in general maintenance work of the nurseries and the monitoring of the coral nubbins, looking out for diseases, bleaching, predations and the general condition of the coral’s.
This is done every 8-10 days. We send out an email in advance requesting your availability on the days required. The days we head out are flexible and are chosen depending on the weather, number of volunteers and how busy the dive centre and resort is; this is because we will require transfers from the Fitzroy Flyer and tanks from Fitzroy Dive Centre.
We might not be able to accommodate all of the volunteers all of the time as only six can attend per outing; we do a rotation to make sure that everyone has a chance to be involved. The following are the requirements that have to be met in order to place you on the diving register of Reef Restoration Foundation.