Reef Check Hawaii

06/07/2026

05/26/2026

2026MAY25 - Main Hawaiian Islands
Charts: corallreefwatch.noaa.gov

With our typical warm water months around the corner and the potential for a severe El Niño keep your eyes out for coral bleaching.

More information about spotting coral bleaching and reporting it coming, soon.

05/11/2026

Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) can be an indicator and is used as a forecasting tool for coral bleaching events. For more information, check out NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch.

Slide 1: Shows a timelapse of daily SST versus the long-term averages from April 11, 2026 - May 10, 2026. Generally, SST have been higher than the average over the last 30 days.

Slide 2: This slide shows the Thermal Stress Gauge. Generally, bleaching from thermal stress occurs during the warm water months of August through November.

Slide 3: Shows our year-to-date SST temperatures.

Slide 4: Compares SST by year. The black line represents 2026.

For more information visit:

https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov

04/20/2026

Come Join Our Volunteer Dive Team and support coral reef resilincy here in Hawaiʻi

Course Schedule:

Hawaiʻi (Kona): May 2026
Hawaiʻi (Kona): June 2026
Oahu: July 2026
Kauai: July 2026
Hawaiʻi (Kawaihae): August 2026
Hawaiʻi (Kona): September 2026
Maui: November 2026
ReefCheck Kelp Forest Crossover: December 2026

DM for details!

03/22/2026

A flash in the reef… and the hunt is on.

A moray eel strikes a Hawaiian day octopus—two masters of camouflage locked in a sudden battle. Arms twist, ink bursts, and for a moment it’s chaos beneath the surface. The octopus escapes… but not without a cost.

This is the raw reality of reef life. Survival isn’t gentle—it’s constant, calculated, and unforgiving. Every encounter shapes the balance of this ecosystem.

And yet… this is a healthy reef. Predators hunting. Prey adapting. Life continuing.

If we want reefs like this to survive, we have to protect the systems that make moments like this possible.

🌊 We invite you to be part of this next chapter for Hawaiʻi’s reefs. Where traditional knowledge, community science, and collective action come together to protect the ocean that protects us.

02/10/2026

📚🪸 BIG NEWS from Reef Check Hawaiʻi! We’re thrilled to announce our first-ever children’s book: Polly Polyp and the Curious Baby Shark ✨ Now available for PRE-ORDER!

Set on a sunny Hawaiian reef, this gentle ocean tale follows Nalu, a curious baby shark searching for where he belongs. Along the way, he meets Polly Polyp (a tiny coral polyp with a big heart) and together they discover an important reef truth: every creature has a role to play.

Perfect for young readers, this story celebrates curiosity, friendship, and the balance that keeps reefs healthy, showing that even the smallest polyp and the youngest shark can make a big difference.

🌊 This book has been created in educational partnership with Reef Check Hawaiʻi, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs through hands-on science. Our volunteer divers monitor reef health to help safeguard ocean homes for sharks, turtles, fish, and coral — now and for future generations.

📅 Release date: February 18, 2026
📍 Available at: Barnes & Noble
💙 Every purchase supports Reef Check Hawaiʻi

🔗 See link in bio for the direct pre-order link, or search “Polly Polyp” on the Barnes & Noble website.

CoralReefs SharkStories MauiReefs MarineConservation BooksWithPurpose RaiseOceanStewards

01/03/2026

Reef Check will be conducting a Full AAUS Scientific Diver Class this Spring, 2026 here in Kona, HI.

Divers completing this class will obtain full professional AAUS scientific diver status.

For more information about how you can become a professional AAUS scientific diver through this class, please register via the link in our bio for our upcoming virtual information session Wednesday, January 14th, 2026 at 6:00 pm HST.

12/31/2025

🌊 What an incredible way to wrap up 2025! 🌊
From early mornings gearing up on shore to hours spent surveying beneath the surface, our Maui trip was truly one for the books. We’re so grateful to end the year expanding our reef monitoring efforts and working alongside such an amazing team.

🌺 Coral lovers, stay tuned to the end! There’s a fun coral clip waiting…do you know what species it is? 👀🪸

EndOfYearRecap OceanConservation UnderwaterHawaii

12/25/2025

🎄 Mele Kalikimaka from Reef Check Hawaiʻi! 🪸

Polly Polyp thought she found the perfect tree for the holidays…but Christmas tree worms have other plans! 😄
These colorful reef dwellers live in hard tubes buried into coral and use their spiral “trees” to feed and breathe. If something gets too close, they retract instantly for protection.

A festive reminder that reef life has its own rules. Thanks for celebrating the season with us and for supporting Hawaiʻi’s reefs all year long! 💙🌊

ReefFacts MarineLifeHawaii UnderwaterHawaii CoralReefs HealthyReefs OceanEducation

12/15/2025

🌊 Maui Survey Trip Recap 🌊

In 2025, Reef Check Hawaiʻi expanded our long-term reef monitoring to Maui, and this trip marked an important milestone for our program. 💙

📊 By the numbers:
🔹 40 transects completed
🔹 10 sites surveyed
🔹 49 scientific dives
🔹 49.05 hours underwater
🔹 6 dedicated EcoDivers

This work is only possible because of the donors and community members who believe in long-term, community-powered science. Mahalo for making surveys like this possible.

A huge shoutout to for providing outstanding service and supporting all of our gear rental needs throughout the trip.

We’re grateful for this momentum and excited for what’s ahead as our long-term reef monitoring continues to expand across Hawaiʻi in 2026 and beyond. 🪸 ✨