Becoming an Iconic Reef Guardian: A Purposeful Dive in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Posted
Last Updated

By Sanctuaries.noaa.gov, Sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

The first time I laid eyes on a coral reef was in the Florida Keys in 2012 after I had just learned to scuba dive. I remember hovering above the reef in awe trying to take in the colors of coral and sponges, the fish moving through them, and the realization that an entire world existed beneath the surface.

Over time, that sense of wonder became tangled with something harder to name: the slow ache of environmental grief. I have returned to reefs in different places and conditions, and felt the emotional whiplash of knowing what healthy coral ecosystems can be, and seeing what many have become under the pressure of extreme heat events, pollution, disease, and storms. There were moments when I avoided returning to certain sites because I did not want to see what had changed. But as a science communicator, I know that looking away accomplishes nothing.

Author Rachel Plunkett prepares dive gear for her first Coral Health Experience dive. Photo: Cortney Benson/NMSF
Author Rachel Plunkett prepares dive gear for her first Coral Health Experience dive. Photo: Cortney Benson/NMSF
This winter, I returned to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary with a different purpose: to join Iconic Reef Guardians, a program that trains snorkelers and divers to help monitor coral reefs and support restoration efforts through NOAA’s Mission: Iconic Reefs initiative.I spent time learning from the people leading this work across the Keys: NOAA’s stewardship team, Blue Star dive operators, and participants who showed up ready to learn, survey, and contribute. What I heard again and again was simple: Hope does not come from pretending the problem is not real. It comes from showing up anyway and doing something concrete, together.

Read the full article here: Becoming an Iconic Reef Guardian: A Purposeful Dive in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

 

Originally published on Feb 24, 2026.
During the Coral Health Experience, divers record their observations of healthy, diseased, paling, or bleached corals on a dive slate, and later transfer the data to a state-wide public database. Photo: Rachel Plunkett/NOAA
During the Coral Health Experience, divers record their observations of healthy, diseased, paling, or bleached corals on a dive slate, and later transfer the data to a state-wide public database. Photo: Rachel Plunkett/NOAA