Monitoring the Coral Reefs of Hawai‘i
Follow scientists from the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center as they collect data and monitor reefs throughout Hawai‘i.
The National Coral Reef Monitoring Program provides long-term, high quality data on coral reef communities, fish populations, oceanographic conditions, and ocean chemistry. This important data helps to evaluate potential changes in coral reef health and structure, and informs coral reef scientists and resource managers as well as interested communities and people.
During summer 2024, a team of scientific divers are making their way around Hawai‘i, including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, to continue this long-term survey effort. Here we share an inside look into their journey, underwater reef surveys, and the many fish they will count along the way.
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is all dressed up and ready to be loaded with scientific equipment! Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Divers participate in training before the ship departs. Here they simulate loading an injured diver into the dive chambe...
And they’re off! Scientists and crew depart for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program’s Hawai‘i mission. Over the n...
Scientists gather in a lab space aboard the Oscar Elton Sette to discuss dive safety gear while the ship transits from O...
The first day of survey operations involved operational readiness training which must be conducted with the ship’s crew ...
Research begins off west Maui with fish, benthic, and climate change surveys. Diver Corinne Amir collects benthic imager...
Scientists begin surveying coral reefs off Hawai‘i Island, south of Kailua-Kona. Survey equipment and gear is loaded ont...
Scientists surveyed a vibrant coral reef off of the Kona coast of Hawai‘i Island. This reef serves as a home to many dif...
Around the island of Kaho‘olawe, scientists were happy to find pockets of thriving coral reefs. Scientists and managers ...
A school of Hawaiian dascyllus hover above a coral head off of Maui. This species is endemic to Hawai‘i and Johnston Isl...
A scientist carefully hovers above the reef off of Kailua-Kona to take photographs while swimming along a transect line....
During fish surveys, we count all fish, even species that are hard to see due to camouflage. Even though this frogfish w...
Scientist Candace Alagata carefully secures a subsurface temperature recorder between two coral heads. This instrument w...
Can you guess how many fish are in this photo? Fish divers go through extensive training to be able to count large schoo...
Our scientists found bandit angelfishes around Kaua‘i! The bandit angelfish (Apolemichthys arcuatus) is one of the many ...
The last week of main Hawaiian Islands surveys wrapped up off the shores of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau! Here, a friendly gray re...
What fish species do you see that are endemic to Hawai‘i? The milletseed butterflyfish (Chaetodon miliaris) in yellow, t...
A scientist prepares to reel out a transect tape at one of the permanent sites that we revisit around Ni‘ihau. Although ...
That’s a wrap on the first leg of National Coral Reef Monitoring and Assessment Program surveys around the main Hawaiian...
A large school of over 20 Galapagos sharks (Carcharhinus galapagensis) patrolled a permanent climate reef site on the so...
A common sight at Lalo are these table-like coral colonies of Acropora cytherea. They harbor many Bigeye Emperor fish (M...
A curious Galapagos shark inquisitively swims by to check out newly replaced oceanographic instruments at Lalo. The gray...
Many medium-sized Pocillopora corals have colonized this climate station at Rapture Reef at Lalo. This is an encouraging...
Underwater scenes like this are common in the remote atolls of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, one of the fe...
Lalo harbors a diverse array of reef fish that call the atoll home—from the small saddle wrasse shown in the foreground ...
Some of our surveys require equipment that are heavy to carry underwater. To help offset the weight, scientists use lift...
Scientists and the ship’s crew work together every morning to load and launch small boats. A crane carefully picks the s...
Time for a close-up shot! A Galapagos shark swims close to a scientist during a survey at Lalo. Many sharks are curious ...
Porites lichen is a common coral species in Papahānaumokuākea, but rare in the main Hawaiian islands. This foliose struc...
Scientists have many different roles during missions. Here, two divers prepare small boats during sunrise that they will...
Fishnado! A scientist is surrounded by ulua, or giant trevally. These large predators avoid people in the main Hawaiian ...
Scientists spotted a masked angelfish (Genicanthus personatus) in the shallow waters of Hōlanikū. This fish is endemic t...
Scientists encountered a giant school of manini, or convict tangs, (Acanthurus trigostegus) at a survey site at Hōlanikū...
At Manawai, scientists were thrilled to see the spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus punctatus). This is the only genus in the ...
All pau (finished) collecting data for the Hawai‘i NCRMP mission! The last small boat is loaded onto the ship, which wil...
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