Kuleana Coral Restoration

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Kuleana Coral Restoration

Restoring coral reefs and cultivating thriving marine ecosystems in Hawai’i!

Donate to help us achieve some very ambitious goals this year at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/kuleana-coral-restoration

03/17/2026

Exciting news! COAST Program applications are now open!

Each year, we invite 8 individuals to get trained on coral restoration skills and receive SCUBA certifications up to Rescue Diver, in an effort to ensure qualified, local applicants can help define the restoration sector in Hawai’i.

This course is accelerated, fully funded, and provides a $2,000 stipend to students who meet graduation requirements, reducing barriers to typically costly training.

While no previous experience is required, we’re looking for applicants from West Oʻahu, who are here to work and stay, and are planning to build a career serving Hawai’i through ‘āina, education, restoration, or conservation.

Learn more about COAST 2026 at the link in bio, and submit your application by April 13th at midnight!

Mahalo to for funding this critical program! Mahalo for hosting this program at our KCR office and surrounding resort areas.

03/12/2026

Our RACE TO 10K starts today! 🏁

With ✌️ MAJOR milestones on the horizon, we’re excited to celebrate the people + partners who helped us get here.

We’re challenging our dive team to plant corals as fast as we’re gaining followers! Help us spread the word and share this post to maximize our impact. Then, stay tuned for a special giveaway when we reach 10k corals! 🎉

03/11/2026

Congratulations to our employee of the month…. Our coral colleague, Porites lobata or Pōhaku Puna! 🎉

Porites lobata has excelled in growth, with the oldest outplant being an active part of the team for five years. They are our most common species planted due to their resilience and high prevalence on Hawaiian coral reefs especially here off the west side.

Porites, as a genus, are the most important structural corals in Hawai’i creating the foundation for reefs to form. Their resilience to bleaching from temperature swings, sediment and turbidity makes them the most dominant species on Hawaiian reefs.

Lobata, refers to the lobe shape. This morphology makes these corals extremely resilient to large waves. Which is extremely beneficial to costal communities as they reduce erosion by dissipating wave energy.

Porites lobata’s perseverance, resilience and success has led them to be Kuleana Coral’s Employee of the Month ⭐️ Stay tuned for next month’s highlight!

Maika’i loa Porites lobata!

03/05/2026

Aloha everyone! February was a great month for us and we hope you all had a good month too!

We stayed busy with restoration and outreach across the island, as well as internal staff training to stay sharp with our safety skills.

Our team assisted with boat ops and restoration work in Maunalua Bay teaming up with for the project. Together we outplanted 610 thermally resilient coral fragments back onto the reef!

KCR joined outreach events across the island, sharing about our restoration efforts and coral education with schools and the community. We enjoyed meeting many of you at these events and getting to hear from you about your experiences with coral reefs in Hawai’i. We were grateful to join at the Westside Hoʻolauleʻa to wrap the month up and share our story and work with the community as well as enjoy great music and vibes!

Mahalo to all of our partners for supporting our restoration and education efforts this month! Mahalo to all of you for joining us at various events and sharing our story here on Instagram. See you all next month!

02/27/2026

Hauʻoli Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!

He aha kēia mau holoholona? Swipe to find out the Hawaiian names of each of these animals found on the coral reef.

We see these animals often when we are restoring coral in Hawaiʻi. Along with all the other sea creatures, they call the reef home and we are reminded that the work we are doing is not just for us, but also for them!

Which one is your favorite? Let us know below in the comments.

02/25/2026

A key part of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi are Hawaiian values, Kuleana Coralʻs values highlight our responsibility to take care of, nurture and love coral and our Coral Colleagues represent some values of their own:

Lōkahi– To seek unity and oneness

Each of these tiny polyps are an individual animal, thousands of polyps work together to form the colonial animal we know as coral. Eventually, these large coral colonies unify to become a coral reef.

Hoʻomanawanui– Persist & perseverance

Corals grow slowly, some only a few millimeters per year. Yet these tiny, slow-growing animals form reefs that can last generations and persevere through environmental changes and stressors. Some of the oldest coral colonies are estimated to be over 1,000 years old.

Mālama– To care for & protect

Coral reefs provide vital protection and nutrients for thousands of marine species. Making up less than 1% of the oceans surface area yet support about 25% of all known marine life, even large pelagic fish species like ʻUlua (Giant Trevally) find sanctuary in coral reefs as juveniles.

Hoʻomau– Persist & Press Forward

Hard corals are adaptive and can persist through many environmental changes. An example is when water temperatures get too warm, before corals bleach they can push specific proteins to the surface of their tissues to reduce temperature stress. But sometimes our Coral Colleagues need a little more help to press forward and thats where Kuleana Coral comes in.

Lōkahi, Mālama, and Hoʻomau images taken by

02/24/2026

Aʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.

Our team is proud to be a source of ʻike for our community, sharing about coral restoration and how to mālama our koʻa. We are honored to reach many of you at various outreach events and here on Instagram.

Learning never stops and we believe it takes many schools, organizations, and resources to build a better understanding of our ʻāina and how to care for it. We are grateful to all of you who have also helped to teach us what you know.

Mahalo to everyone who has joined an outreach event and continues to amplify our mission here on social media!

Hauʻoli Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!

02/19/2026

Hauʻoli Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!

Weʻre back with another round of iʻa!

Swipe to learn the names of different fish species in ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Drop your favorite iʻa in the comments below!

02/13/2026

Hauʻoli Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!

Coral restoration doesn’t just help our reefs thrive, it also creates a habitat for the incredible fish species that call Hawaiʻi home.

Scroll through to learn the names of different fish in ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Drop your favorite iʻa in the comments below!

01/29/2026

Meet Kyleigh Kuball, a coral restoration and monitoring technician here at Kuleana Coral!

She is crucial in supporting reef recovery both in and out of the water. Her role shifts day to day from coral monitoring and data coding to community outreach and dive-based restoration work, always responding to what the reef and team needs most.

This work is about more than just restoring coral reefs. Healthy reefs protect coastlines, support marine life, and impact our daily lives whether we’re in the ocean or not. By restoring corals, we’re helping sustain ecosystems that sustain us.

Mahalo Kyleigh for playing a vital role in protecting and restoring coral reefs in Hawaiʻi!

01/23/2026

We are excited to introduce Chaleia Tamashiro, our Education & Outreach Coordinator! She is a proud 2025 graduate of our COAST program!

Chaleia brings with her a deep-rooted love for Hawaiʻi and a lifelong commitment to community and culture. Raised with Hawaiian values, she is driven by the belief that meaningful change starts at home by caring for people, places, and the stories that connect them.

At her core, Chaleia believes that true impact is measured not by status or recognition, but by action. “Talk about it, be about it!” She is passionate about amplifying voices, especially those of kūpuna and community members, and ensuring that culture, relationships, and kuleana remain at the heart of our conservation work.

Chaleia envisions an education and outreach program that is engaging, inclusive, and deeply connected to the community. From partnering with schools across Hawaiʻi and attending neighborhood meetings to creating interactive learning experiences and educational games, her goal is to empower all generations to protect Hawaiian coral reefs.

By turning awareness into action, she hopes to inspire lasting stewardship and a more sustainable future for our reefs and our local communities!

Address

Kapolei, HI

Website

http://www.kuleanacoral.com/

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