Nov. 2001 Four Seasons Hotel in the Maldive Islands Reef Ball Training and Coral Propogation/planting Training photos.
Adopt-A-Reefball Project
The resort and PADI have embarked on a joint reef rejuvenation initiative, the Adopt-a-Reef Ball project. Reef balls are man-made structures, comprised of a special, marine friendly, concrete and are designed to mimic natural reef systems and to facilitate the growth of corals in areas where the reef has been damaged. In November 2001, a team from The Reef Ball Foundation launched Kuda Huraa's programme and instructed the resort team on constructing and deploying a reef ball. Over 250,000 reef balls have been deployed in over 3,500 projects worldwide making reef balls the most widely used designed artificial reef in the world. Reef balls are used primarily to restore ailing coral reefs and to create new sites for scuba diving or fishing and for many other uses such as beach protection, mitigation, fresh water, education, and for creating all types of aquatic reef systems.
The project also features an innovative technique called coral propagation. This process is similar to the techniques used on plants and ensures a ten times faster growth rate of the coral. It is expected that the coral propagation at the reefs near Kuda Huraa to reach a 90% success rate. These amazing techniques have only been in place for around three years. For a fee of US$250, guests can adopt a reefball.
