It’s this time of year when we get to share an update on our coral nursery. In our blog in May 2025, we had explained that a couple of our trees had sadly been damaged due to fishing gear entanglement. As they were located outside the Marine Protected Area, we decided to relocate them.
In early 2026 we outplanted all the remaining coral fragments and transplanted the trees to the Atlantis House Reef to avoid further damage from fishing gear and for ease of access.
Because coral reefs are fragile, selecting the new site required careful assessment. Factors such as swell, sand, and sunlight availability can all impact coral health.
We are happy to report that we now have 3 coral trees in our House Reef near the big coral head and they have been doing well since the relocation. 10% of the branches are populated with Acropora fragments from the Atlantis House Reef. The fragments showing the best growth will be refragmented to populate the rest of the trees.
Our coral nursery is currently the largest in Dauin, and although it is relatively young—having been established in mid 2020—we have already seen very encouraging results, with replanted coral fragments thriving.
We continuously monitor the nursery, keeping it clean and replanting fragments when they are ready. We also place great importance on education, offering guests the opportunity to attend a presentation and even join us on a dive to help clean the trees.
We actually had the pleasure of welcoming Reef Healers in March. Reef Healers is an inland ocean conservation organization based in Fort Collins, Colorado, founded by Chloe Rogozinski and Austin Niles. They focus on educating inland communities about the connection between water quality and ocean health, and creating ways for people to get involved in coral restoration. Through local river cleanups and restoration initiatives, they work to protect water from rivers to reefs.
After their stay, Chloe shared the following with us: “We reached out to the Atlantis Dive Resort team to learn more about their coral restoration project and build connections for the future. Creating a community of restoration efforts allows all of us to learn and improve together.
During our visit, we had the opportunity to dive the coral nursery and learn directly from the program biologist, Marco. The nursery itself was incredible, with well-maintained coral trees and a strong system in place to support coral growth. We learned what has been successful, what challenges they have faced, and what it takes to maintain a project over time.
Seeing their thriving outplanted coral was especially inspiring. Protecting the reef around the resort plays a critical role in long-term resilience, supporting fish populations, and providing natural shoreline protection during storms. We loved working with the Atlantis team and diving in such an incredible place.”
Such supportive words mean the world to us.
Coral reefs face many threats, including climate change, unsustainable fishing, pollution, damage from boats and people, and invasive species. Research led by the University of British Columbia and published in One Earth in September 2021 indicated that coral reefs have declined by more than half since the 1950s.
This is alarming, but there are solutions, and we will continue to play our part in looking after our corals and educating people. We would like to thank Coral Restoration Foundation™, The Mead Foundation, The Living Planet Aquarium, and our guests for their continued support and partnership.
For more information, visit the Coral Nursery page on our website under the “Atlantis Cares” page.
