Florida Keys group enlists divers to help restore coral reefs

KEY LARGO, Fla. – Ken Nedimeyer likes to say that he breathes new life into coral reefs off the Florida Keys.

In fact, he’s been doing it for more than a decade, and volunteer recreational divers are helping his efforts to restore the reefs.

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Nedimeyer runs the Coral Restoration Foundation. The non-profit organization has planted four coral nurseries and has cultivated some 40,000 corals.

The Coral Restoration Foundation offers workshops and diving trips for recreational divers. First the volunteer divers get a crash course in corals, where they learn that the reefs are declining. Then they swim out to the reefs for a hands-on dive, where the cultivated corals are planted.

The volunteers come from around the country. Their work on the reefs is a form of underwater community service.