Latest Acropora ID Diver Course
The two-week Acropora Course was held once again on the 11th – 22nd of May. Although this batch is not as crowded as the previous courses, we managed to gather three Acropora lovers, including 1 of our staff. The other two were from Sorce, Lombok as scholarship students made possible by the McPZ foundation, and one student from Easy Divers Pemuteran. The course was held in various sites in Bali, starting in Ocean Gardener Coral Lab in Penida. We stayed there for 5 days to learn various Big Table Acroporas and a lot of different kinds
Q2 2026 Updates
Q2 2026 was a period of both resilience and significant growth for Ocean Gardener in Nusa Penida. Together with the local community, we successfully outplanted over 13,000 corals and established a new Montipora nursery to bolster reef diversity following spring storm damage. Despite facing a severe marine heatwave in April, our monitoring confirms encouraging signs of recovery across our restoration sites, underscoring the vital importance of our ongoing conservation and community-led efforts.
My Experience As a Coral Restoration Intern in Bali
Coral Restoration in Nusa Penida, Bali Every restoration site has a story, and this May, I got to help write the latest chapter in Ped, Nusa Penida. For those searching for a coral restoration internship in Bali, there is no better place to gain real-world experience than with the Ocean Gardener team. I was looking for a marine conservation volunteer program that offered more than just a surface-level experience.I arrived fresh off my Conservation Divemaster in Raja Ampat, so I already had a solid foundation in reef ecology. After wrapping up the 3-Day Intro to
Bringing Coral Restoration Home: Training Indonesia’s Coastal Communities to Restore Their Own Reefs
Ocean Gardener is launching a Coral Restoration Training Program funded by the TFCCA Grant Program, teaching coastal communities across Indonesia—in Bahasa Indonesia—how to restore their own coral reefs.
The story of our Ped, Nusa Penida, coral restoration site
James shares the incredible transformation of our Ped, Nusa Penida site. From bare rubble to 52% coral cover, he explores how simple, community-led methods are bringing Bali’s reefs back to life. Witness the power of restoration!
Acropora delsawii, an iconic coral from Indonesia
Our founder, Vincent Chalias, dives into the story of Acropora delsawii. Named after conservationist Des Alwi, this “spiny pillow” coral is a true icon of Indonesia’s Spice Islands. Learn about its unique shape and vibrant colors in our latest update.
From Inspiration to Action: The Spirit of Women in Marine Conservation
Our staff member, Festi, recently represented Ocean Gardener at the Coral Catch Conference on Gili Air. Celebrating women in marine conservation, she joined workshops to share hope and restoration tactics. Festi returned inspired, proving that when women lead, our coral reefs have a brighter future.
Spotlight on the Bird Nest Acropora: Acropora Jacquelinae
We review a beautiful but increasingly rare species here on the Bali reefs : Acropora Jacquelinae or the Bird Nest Acropora.
Updates on our Coral Restoration Nurseries and Sites Around Bali
We revisit 3 of our nurseries Lipah Bay (Amed), Ped (Nusa Penida) and Tulamben on their progress. We are continuing to expand our restoration areas and looking for better techniques for coral restoration.
November’s Coral Restoration Full Certificate – A Month of Learning, Diving, and Restoring Hope Underwater
November 2025 became a month filled with stories for the five participants who gathered in Bali for the Coral Reef Restoration Full Certificate—a four-week learning journey that not only deepened their scientific understanding, but also strengthened their connection to the ocean and to one another as reef guardians, combining classroom theory with hands-on practice in the ocean. The three scholarship recipients—Disya Shafa Azizah, Lusiana (Blue Forest), and Daniel Jackson Jay (Trilogy Ocean Restoration, Karimun Jawa)—joined with strong motivation to expand their capabilities as restorers. They were accompanied by two self-funded participants from abroad, Mohammad Alkhonaini
Behind the Full Moonlight: A Story of Coral Reef Life Cycles
Our staff member Anasthasia reflects on her first coral spawning in Tulamben and updates from this coral spawning season in 2025.
When Mooring Buoys Become a Threat to the Corals We Protect
Corals – The Hidden Foundation of Marine Life In Nusa Penida, tens of thousand of visitors visit Manta Point in Nusa Penida, Bali. But behind every manta ray, mola mola, or school of reef fish lies a hidden truth: without coral reefs, none of these creatures could survive. Coral reefs provide homes to the baby fish to hide from predators, or host the species that these iconic species feed on. Ocean Gardener has been working with the local fishermen community, Nuansa Pulau. Together, we have been planting over 200,000 corals at the Ped restoration site in