Coral Reef Restoration: Can Our Oceans Recover?

Our oceans are at a tipping point. But this World Ocean Day, life is growing back - one coral at a time.  

By Stacey Emiliou
Editor Zowie Palliaer

Armed with breath-hold and grit, a REEF Ranger fights to save the very reef that has long-since sustained his Kenyan coastal community. © @REEFolutionfoundation

As you dive in the water, the first thing you notice is not the reef, but the water itself, an inviting, transparent blue that pulls you deeper. 

You drop beneath the surface and glide towards the reef. Freediving evokes a sense of freedom; down here, you’re just another creature passing through.

As you descend towards the reef, corals branch out, reaching towards you, outstretched like hands. A parrotfish cruises the reef edge, flashes of color catching the light. A hawksbill turtle drifts past, unhurried. The reef pops and snaps all around you, an underwater orchestra. Everything feels so beautifully alive.

This is what it feels like to freedive over a healthy coral reef.

But this hasn't always been the story of this reef. Just five years ago, much of it bore the scars of decades of dynamite fishing, with fields of broken coral and damaged reef where vibrant colonies once thrived, while warming seas and recurring bleaching events continue to threaten its recovery.

Our oceans are in crisis, and we are running out of time.

Molchanovs has proudly partnered with REEFolution to combat coral reef destruction, one coral fragment at a time. Photo © @REEFolutionfoundation.

Why Coral Reefs Are So Important 

The ocean produces around 50% of the world's oxygen and absorbs approximately 30% of all human-produced CO₂. Without the ocean, there is no life. Without coral reefs, there is no healthy ocean.

Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. Despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor, they shelter more than one million plant and animal species – complex, interdependent ecosystems that took millions of years to form. Irreplaceable, they are among the most biodiverse places on the planet.

Reefs are not just vital to nature; they are deeply connected to human life as well. More than 500 million people worldwide rely on coral reefs for food, income, and coastal protection. Reefs absorb wave energy, shield communities from storm damage, and support the fisheries that sustain entire coastal nations. When reefs die, people suffer.

We live in a finite world, and without intervention, 90% of all coral reefs could be gone by 2050. The consequences would reach far beyond the ocean. As freedivers, we are often the first to witness this decline. But we are also among the first to understand that change is possible.

Not just a pretty place – our planet depends on healthy reef systems for its survival. Without them, the consequences would be catastrophic and far-reaching. Photo © @REEFolutionfoundation.

Restoration in Action 

In the Wasini Channel in Shimoni, southern Kenya, a quiet revolution is taking place.

An organization called REEFolution has set out to restore what was lost. Their team of REEF Rangers involves individuals from local coastal communities whose livelihoods depend on the ocean. Using science, skill, and sheer dedication, they are bringing the reef back to life - rebuilding the reef one coral fragment at a time. 

For these rangers, freediving isn't recreational. It’s an instrument of change. A means of restoring the ecosystem that has given them so much in return. Molchanovs has been a gear partner to REEFolution, providing the REEF Rangers with equipment and helping the people closest to the reef with the tools they need to save it.

Coral fragments that would otherwise crumble are given a new chance at life in underwater nurseries. Photo © @REEFolutionfoundation.

REEF Rangers collect what are known as "corals of opportunity", fragments of coral broken by storms or human activity that are still alive but won't survive on the sandy seabed on their own. These fragments are transported into underwater nurseries, where they are given time and structure to grow. 

Crucially, REEFolution is designing these nurseries in shallow water, making restoration accessible to freedivers and snorkelers (not just technical divers). Once strong enough, the fragments are planted back onto degraded reef areas, repopulating the places that once fell desolate.

Corals need a hard surface to attach to and grow, so REEFolution also deploys large steel artificial reef structures onto the seabed, creating a scaffold for new reefs to form. To date, 5,347 of these structures have been placed, providing a foundation for coral to take hold and fish communities to return.

Through freediving, coral restoration becomes more accessible, more affordable, and more scalable, meaning more people can get involved and more reefs can be saved.

“The reef is bouncing back - and so are the people.”

Steel structures become the foundation of rehabilitated reefs, providing a safe space for marine animals to call home. Photo © @REEFolutionfoundation.

The Results: Life is Returning

Since the project began in 2016, REEFolution has built the largest artificial reef on the African mainland. To date, 5,929m² of reef has been restored, and 46,730 coral fragments have been outplanted. Dive beneath the surface today, and you can see what those numbers actually mean. Color where there was gray, movement where there was stillness. The ocean is finding its voice again.

In one recent project, 105 reef stars were deployed and 950 coral fragments outplanted. Within just four months, 95% had survived and were growing. The restoration area is booming with diversity, and the rubble beneath is stabilising.

2 years of progress – life restored to the Kenyan coast through the unrelenting efforts of REEF Rangers. Photo © @REEFolutionfoundation.

Research shows that most of the recovery happens within the first two years of restoration, meaning change can happen incredibly fast, giving hope for the future of our oceans. 

The reef is bouncing back, and so are the people. Across the seven coastal communities REEFolution works with, people are reporting improved livelihoods, stronger environmental awareness, and a renewed sense of pride and ownership over the ocean. When you give communities the knowledge and tools to restore their own coastline, something deeper happens: they don't just save the reef. They reconnect with it. 

As REEF Ranger and fisherman Dosa Mshenga puts it: "90% of our community are fishermen. Now it's our turn to give something back." 

World Ocean Day serves as an important reminder to advocate for the one thing that has given so many freedivers joy. Photo © @REEFolutionfoundation.

The Results: Life is Returning

At Molchanovs, we feel more at home in the water than on land, yet the place we call home is changing. World Ocean Day, celebrated every year on 8 June, is a reminder of what freedivers witness firsthand. Argentina's national freediving champion and REEFolution ambassador, Luciana Blanco Villegas, puts it simply: "The ocean gives us life, joy, and peace. Now it's our turn to give back."

Molchanovs is proud to partner with REEFolution in support of their ongoing restoration work in Kenya. The reefs can recover. Communities can lead the way. And every one of us, whether we freedive, swim, or simply love the sea, has a role to play.

By saving nature, we are saving ourselves. For generations to come.

To learn more about REEFolution's work and how to support coral reef restoration, visit reefolution.org. Subscribe to the Magazine for the latest articles, tips, stories and competition reporting.