The Transect Line - September/October 2024

Reef Check Baja California: Surveys Begin!

This month, Reef Check and our key partners in Mexico took another step in enhancing a long-term, large-scale program to monitor and evaluate our shared coastal ecosystems. Newly hired Baja California Regional Manager Jessica Pantoja from Reef Check and Alex Castillo from MexCal will coordinate this new adventure by bringing together volunteers from both sides of the border to dive with purpose along the beautiful northwest coast of Baja. Surveys are already documenting critical insights such as increases in urchin density and invasive algae species.

Reflections on the Relaunch of Reef Check Hawai’i

Reef Check Malaysia’s Julian Hyde recently completed training in Hawai’i as part of the re-launch of the Reef Check Hawai’i program. He found most interesting the parallels between Hawai’i and Malaysia; the threats to the reefs are the same – local threats such as pollution, overfishing and impacts from tourism, and global threats such as climate change. The training has resulted in three brand new EcoDiver Trainers, very passionate and committed to an ambitious goal to set up a survey program covering some 90 sites by the middle of next year.

Dive into Citizen Science with Submerge & Reef Check in the Red Sea

Next July, join Reef Check Board Member Linden Wolbert (aka Mermaid Linden), videographers Justin Lutsky and Abbey Blake from Submerge, and Reef Check EcoDiver Trainer Dr. Ahmed Shawky for an unforgettable Red Sea adventure from July 5-12, 2025! This trip features: world-class diving on vibrant Red Sea reefs, Reef Check EcoDiver training and certification, marine mammal observation & underwater laser photogrammetry, and luxury accommodations aboard the MY Turquoise dive yacht.

Video Spotlight: Cartober

Fall for a great cause and donate your unused car, truck, RV, motorcycle, or boat! Your donation not only helps Reef Check Foundation and our efforts worldwide, but your generous donation is also tax-deductible. Search for Reef Check here: https://careasy.org/choose-a-nonprofit and learn how you can give back today!

Watch Video

The Coral Crisis: Why Identifying Reef Builders is Crucial for Our Future

Corals: A guide to the identification of the main genera of coral reef builders of the Indo-Pacific Region is now available on Amazon! Gianfranco Rossi of Reef Check Italia published his book in 2021 and it is now available for order in paperback. This guide aims to assist in the identification of the main genera of reef-building corals using images from across the Indo-Pacific region. After a general introduction, the methodology used and the characteristics of individual genera will be described, and a series of useful information will be provided for identification.

Staggering Amount of Trash Removed at International Coastal Cleanup 2024

This year’s International Coastal Cleanup Day in Malaysia saw a whopping 41,014 kg (90,422 lbs) of trash removed from beach and underwater clean-ups. Marine debris is one of the greatest threats our ocean faces, and efforts such as this play a significant role in reducing the amount of damage done to our ocean ecosystems. Click below to read more about this event, as well as all the other latest news from Reef Check Malaysia.