The Next Step
Coral nursery development is an integrated process that must be mastered in a coral reef rehabilitation project. Propagated corals must be placed in a manageable platform for them to be monitored until transplantation is possible. The processes involved in coral nursery development include environmental assessments, nursery building, propagating, quarantine, monitoring, and maintenance. This course consists of 8 chapters specifically developed for coral nursery development training. Online learning is available for the knowledge development part of this course. The student is required to complete the skill development in the field with a certified Ocean Quest Global – Field Training Instructor (FTI).
Overview
Course Outline
Coral nursery development is an integrated process that must be mastered in a coral reef rehabilitation project. Propagated corals must be placed in a manageable platform for them to be monitored until transplantation is possible. This course is a specialty course designed for those wishing to fulfil their training requirement for the Coral Reef Rehabilitation Specialist course and the Field Training Instructor course. The processes involved in coral nursery development includes environmental assessments, nursery building, propagating, quarantine, monitoring, and maintenance.
Entry Prerequisites
1. Certified open water diver with at least 20 dives
2. For those who have not been diving for over 6 months, they are required to take the SCUBA refresher course before enrolling.
3. Have completed the Ocean Quest – coral propagation course
Duration and Activity
The field training for nursery development specialty course is a 4-day intensive training program. The student will be taken on-site orientation and working safety in the nursery building.
On the second day, the students will be doing 2 dives. In the first dive, they will learn about recognizing and identifying potential nursery sites. They will also explore and identify suitable substrate collection sites for nursery building. In the second dive, they will begin nursery development. In between dives they will be involved in team planning and task distribution. Skills involving moving substrates like the deployment and control of lifting devices is demonstrated during this dive.
On the third day, they will be involved in nursery monitoring and management. The students will be involved in actual nursery monitoring and management work at an already established coral nursery. 2 dives are scheduled for the third day. The first dive will be quarantine work and nursery inspection. The second dive will be data collecting and reporting.
On the last day, the student will do their fifth dive and final dive of the course. During this dive, they will choose to build a nursery or conduct nursery maintenance work.
Workshop Fees
The fee for the online course is $US 250.00 or equivalent in local currency. This fee does not include field training, accommodation, and travel expenses.
Study Times
Immediately after enrollment, the student will be given the Coral Nursery Development manual for them to begin reading. They are also required to find answers to all the quizzes at the end of every chapter in the manual. It is best to begin studying at least 3 days prior to the course.
Course Materials
The course materials include:
1. A pdf copy of the Coral Nursery Development Manual.
2. Use of tools for coral nursery development
Personal Preparation
Coral nursery development is a physically strenuous activity. Therefore, you are required to be physically fit for strenuous underwater activity. It is best to pay attention to getting physically conditioned for this course. Get enough rest and do light exercise to keep in shape. If you are going to be using any new piece of diving equipment, you may want to consider testing it in the pool or doing a few recreational dives with them. If you have not been diving for prolonged periods, you are required to do a SCUBA Refresher course. Ensure that you can attain good buoyancy.