Artificial Reef Theory & Techniques

Artificial Reef Theory and Techniques

Artificial reefs are man-made structures that are built and deployed in the ocean in order to expand the natural reef, promote growth in damaged or desolate areas or even to create safe areas for trainee divers to practice. The structures are usually made out of concrete and re-bar and have to be designed in a way to ensure they are stable and will encourage growth of coral fragments that are attached. There is also a lot of thought process behind the installation and site planning. In this course you will gain all the knowledge required to be involved in Artificial Deployment projects.

In order to start the course, students must:

Hold an advanced diver certification from a leading diving organization such as PADI or SSI.
Be 12 years of age or over
Be self-aware in the water and demonstrate proficient in buoyancy

What the course involves

Students will gain understanding of how, why and when artificial reefs are used and the difference between various design models. You will learn what is the considerations when deploying a structure and what factors to consider in its design and on-going maintenance. Students will then construct and deploy an artificial reef and then collect any vulnerable, ‘at risk’ coral fragments from the reef to transplant on to the structure (note: we do not support coral propagation as a method for reef conservation). Students will then record data on the artificial reef, so that its success can be measured over time.

Diving

The course includes 3 dives:

Maintenance and observation dive
Deployment and Coral Fragment Transplanting dive
Monitoring and Data Collection dive

Classroom

The course includes 2 artificial reef knowledge development presentations and a construction lesson

Student must pass the Artificial Reef Theory and Techniques exam

For full details on the course please visit the Conservation Diver website to view the Standards and Requirements

Expected Course Duration: 10 hours, over 3 days

Minimum 3 dives

Price: $205.00