In July 2024, Red Sea Diving Safari will once again host the REEF CHECK Ecodiver Course and Surveys for the 16th time, this time at Marsa Nakari Village.

REEF CHECK stands for
* Participation in reef surveys
* Raising awareness of human impact
* Collecting scientific data
* Protect coral reefs

Minimum of 30 logged dives and good buoyancy control.
Course language: English and German

The 4-day course will take place in Marsa Nakari from 18 July to 21 July 2024, with a survey as the highlight on the last day. The course will be followed by four more surveys around Marsa Nakari from 22 July to 25 July 2024.

During the course, participants will learn and practise the Reef Check methodology, which is used to collect important data on the health of coral reefs.

The surveys record the presence of fish, invertebrates, substrate and human impact along a 100 metre transect line. The aim is to raise awareness of the various human impacts on coral reefs, to highlight the causes of the crisis and to encourage people to take action. The training and survey dives are free of charge as Red Sea Diving Safari is an official sponsor of Reef Check.

Reef Check, the base programme of the United Nations Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), is the world’s largest coral reef monitoring organisation. It consists of marine scientists and volunteers. REEF CHECK was established in 1996 to assess the health of the world’s coral reefs. It has developed a standardised method that provides robust data and is easy for the public, such as local people, divers and snorkellers, to learn. The Reef Check protocol focuses on the abundance of specific reef organisms that best reflect the health of the ecosystem and are easily perceived by the public. The data collected can be compared globally. This data on the health of coral reefs provides a basis for managing and reversing further decline.
More information on Reef Check:

www.reefcheck.org and www.reefcheck.de

During the surveys, a 100 metre transect line is established along two depth levels of the reef and the abundance of certain indicator organisms, substrate categories and human impacts are recorded. Three buddy teams conduct a fish survey, a substrate survey and an invertebrate/human impact survey along this line and record the data on underwater record boards. The Reef Check indicators are chosen to provide the best possible information on the health of a reef, particularly in relation to human impacts, i.e. overfishing, over-fertilisation, coral breakage, rubbish, etc. The substrate survey, for example, provides an important measure of the health of a coral reef through the degree of coral cover. If there is an imbalance in the ecosystem or if over-fertilisation is a problem, algae can increasingly displace corals and prevent new coral larvae from settling.

In 2009, Red Sea Diving Safari (RSDS) began a long-term reef Riff Monitoring Programm to help preserve the largely intact reefs of southern Egypt. Since then, Eco-Diver Courses  followed by reef check surveys have been conducted at 10 different reefs each year. The data collected is entered into the international public Reef Check database.
RSDS is an official sponsor of Reef Check and supports the reef surveys with free dives during the courses and surveys. RSDS has a long-standing commitment to coral reef conservation and sustainable tourism development. The Eco-Diving Adventure includes marine biology workshops, working with reef protection initiatives, mooring installation, reef clean-up and beach and waste management projects.

REEF CHECK is open to anyone. The Eco-Diver course consists of presentations, practical exercises on land and in the water, and tests, and lasts four days. This is followed by a full survey at two depths and the data collected will be entered into the Reef Check database. Alternatively, there are half-day taster courses called “Discover Reef Check”. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be certified as a REEF CHECK Eco Diver and will be able to participate in surveys and contribute to the collection of scientific data on the health of coral reefs. You will learn about fish, corals and invertebrates, coral reefs as an ecosystem and the threats to reefs today. Many participants have commented that their perception of the underwater world has changed dramatically.
The course is led by marine biologist and Reef Check scientist Stephan Moldzio.

Here you can find photo reports from our Reef Check activities in  2015, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023. You can also read our report on 10 years of Reef Check reef monitoring at Red Sea Diving Safari in the magazine unterwasser.
Click here for interviews with Reef Check scientist Stephan Moldzio and Reef Check coordinators Dr. Georg Heiss und Dr. Moshira Hassan.