Coral Reef Surveys

DISCOVERY Yacht Isabel / Miami
March 27, 2021

On March 27th, 2021, The International SeaKeepers Society assisted The Surfrider Foundation and Conservation Key in conducting field research aboard DISCOVERY Yacht Isabel, a 38’ 1973 Bertram sport fisher. Surfrider’s Regional Manager for Florida and Puerto Rico, Marilu Flores, and volunteer Ryan Darling again utilized a commercial grade submersible drone/ROV to do coral reef surveys. The surveys are being done for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to document any signs of coral bleaching, disease, or degradation in reefs just off the south Florida coast; specifically offshore of Miami.

This time we surveyed South Pillars Reef. We were joined by filmmaker and volunteer Shireen Rahimi, who helped document the efforts of Surfrider/Conservation Key and tell the story of what we can do to better protect our coral reefs. We were also joined by Georgia Stockwell who was acting as a Surfrider Volunteer to take visual surveys while the ROV recorded footage of the state of the reef. It was noted that this site in particular was fairly barren as seen by the almost colorless corals.

Partner Sites
The Surfrider Foundation
Conservation Key