Are you a Coral Observer?

🌊 Join Our Community of Coral Spawning Observers!

Every year, corals release millions of eggs and sperm, or larvae,  into the water in a spectacular natural event known as coral spawning. These brief, synchronized moments are key to reef recovery and resilience, yet they often go unseen, and valuable data are lost. Coral Observer helps bridge that gap between science and conservation, turning coral observations by citizen scientists into data that directly supports reef research and restoration.

Coral spawning is one of the most extraordinary natural events on Earth. It’s also one of the most important: this is how reefs reproduce, recover after disturbance, and maintain their biodiversity. Yet despite its importance, coral spawning remains surprisingly under-documented. Each event is brief, unpredictable, and often observed only by a few divers. Valuable information such as when and where different species spawn, or how timing shifts from year to year is often lost simply because there hasn’t been an easy way to record and share it.

That’s why I created Coral Observer, with experts from Quantum.co, who volunteered their time to build the app (for free) in support of coral reef conservation. The app is designed as a bridge between science and conservation, connecting the people who witness coral spawning; divers, researchers, restoration practitioners, and ocean enthusiasts, with the data systems that scientists use to understand and protect reefs.

My inspiration came from years of hands-on work in Akumal, Mexico, where I collaborated with the Hotel Akumal Caribe, Akumal Dive Center, the Coralium Lab, the Coral Conservation Society, Secore International, Operation Wallacea, and other local and international stakeholders and volunteers to develop a new coral spawning monitoring and collection site in Akumal, Mexico (read more here).

Through Coral Observer, anyone can record when and where they see corals spawning and contribute observations to the Caribbean Coral Spawning Database, coordinated by AGRRA (Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment). This growing dataset helps reveal large-scale patterns in coral reproduction, information that supports restoration projects, improves spawning predictions, and informs policies to protect coral populations. These records help scientists track how environmental changes are affecting coral reproduction and guide conservation efforts, such as assisted fertilization and larval restoration.

Coral Observer is also designed with scientists collecting data in the field or in aquaria in mind. Its user-friendly interface minimizes effort and reduces errors during data entry, and submissions are exported instantly in .csv format, matching the exact structure used by the Caribbean coral spawning community. This makes it easy to integrate your observations into your own research datasets, or share them with the broader coral science community.

The app is free and open to everyone. It can be used online or offline, making it accessible to field teams and community divers alike. Whether you’re a scientist monitoring a reef, a dive instructor leading a night dive, or simply someone passionate about coral reefs, your observations are valuable. 

🪸 How to Get Involved

1. Plan your observation – Spawning usually happens a few days after the full moon. Check regional spawning prediction calendars for guidance.

2. Head out to observe – You can record spawning on scuba, snorkel, or even in aquaria. Note the date, species, number of colonies, and start/end times of your observation.

3. Record your data – Visit app.coralobserver.com to log your observation. The app works online or offline and stores your data securely.

4. Share and explore – Your observations become part of open-access maps showing when and where coral spawning occurs across the Caribbean.

Remember: Log your observation even if you did not see coral spawning when you expected to. This is still important data! 

🌍 Why It Matters

Your contributions help:

• Detect changes in coral reproduction linked to climate stress.

• Guide restoration efforts and larval propagation projects.

• Support scientific publications and regional collaboration.

🧡 The Coral Observer Mission

Coral Observer was built by volunteers to empower divers, scientists, and ocean enthusiasts to take part in coral science. By joining, you become part of a community working to protect and restore the reefs we all depend on.

My goal is to make coral science more collaborative, inclusive, and community-driven — to turn every dive into an opportunity to contribute to conservation. By joining the Coral Observer network, you become part of a growing movement of people helping to document, understand, and safeguard coral reproduction across the Caribbean and beyond.

👉 Start observing today: www.coralobserver.com

Together, we can turn every dive into data for reef conservation.