Nestled in the vibrant waters of the Caribbean lies a hidden gem of biodiversity and ecological health — the coral reef of Tela, Honduras.
In an era where the majority of coral reefs are experiencing degradation and decline, Tela’s reefs are a rare example of resilience and hope.
Tela Coral News
Beneath the Surface
⏳ HURRY!! We still need you!
Voting for SXSW 2026 closes this Sunday, August 24 and we’re still in the running! We need help getting over the line! So vote, tag your family, send to your ocean-loving friends, and use it as an excuse to chat with that barista you’ve been lowkey flirting with for the past year 🤣 We need all hands on deck!
🎼 Music that inspires people to save the ocean.
🎨 Art that makes real change happen.
🤿 Science that proves collaboration works.
If you haven’t voted yet, let’s go!!! Procrastination is SO last year 😉. It takes 2 minutes!
1️⃣ Register (free & confidential): https://id.sxsw.com/
2️⃣ Click the ❤️ for our panel: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1752093216283001vvfV
Every vote makes waves for #TheRebelReef and reefs around the world! 🌊✨
Tela x Music for the Ocean x SXSW!!!! 🪸 🎶
Is South x Southwest in our future?! With your help — MAYBE!! Along with our creative partners at @musicfornature_official, we’re in the running to host a coral and music panel at this epic festival in Austin, TX!
SXSW would be a dream venue for us, but we need your votes to get us there! Can you help? 🥹👉👈
🌟 Here’s how: it takes just 2 minutes to vote!
1️⃣ Register (free & confidential): https://id.sxsw.com/
2️⃣ Click the ❤️ next to our panel name: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1752093216283001vvfV
🚨 DEADLINE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 24. Please vote, share to your story and tag your friends! Much like a reef, the more the merrier!
Let’s go!!
Meet the Flonduran corals! 💑🇺🇸🇭🇳 These elkhorn babies are the FIRST-EVER international crossbred corals approved for outplanting, and they just made their debut on a Miami reef! 🎉
These little warriors’ parents are heat-resistant champs from #TheRebelReef in Honduras crossed with some of Florida’s most resilient corals.
🔥 Why does this matter?
Florida’s reefs are in crisis—elkhorn corals are foundational species and less than 5% remain. Rising ocean temps are pushing them to the brink of extinction
🔬 The science is WILD:
✔️ Researchers from UMiami collected elkhorn fragments from #TheRebelReef and flew them back to Florida.
✔️ Then #TheRebelReef corals spawned (YAY!) and the Florida Aquarium successfully crossbred them with Florida elkhorns they were already caring for, making “Flonduran” elkhorn babies.
✔️ After a year of TLC, the next generation is ocean-bound, with tentacles of hope for the future of Florida’s reefs, and reefs around the world!
🎉 This is a MAJOR regulatory step forward:
✔️ It’s the FIRST time that coral genes from another country have received permits to be outplanted anywhere in the WORLD!
✔️ It shows how important international collaborations are!
Shoutout to the coral dream team (@miamirosenstiel, @tela_marine, @floridaaquarium) for doing the impossible (and doing it in style) 🌊💙
Who knew coral matchmaking could be this revolutionary?
Photos 1, 5, 6 & 7 - Diana Udel of UMiami
Photos 2, 3, 4 & 9 - Tiffany Duong #
Two unforgettable days of music, inspiration, and ocean conservation 🪸🎶
Music for the Ocean is a blend of original music and improvisations by composer-violinist Chad Cannon and pianist Hui Wu that left us absolutely mesmerized. Tim Rauch blesses us with his all-encompassing visuals, and surround sound design by Will Chen pulls you in like a rip tide. This immersive concert makes us connect and fall in love with the marvels of the ocean in ways that feel wholly unique.
The Los Angeles edition of this event did more than inspire, it helped bring attention to #TheRebelReef and brought us closer to our $100,000 fundraising goal to establish a vital gene bank. This project will safeguard highly threatened elkhorn coral and other coral species that call Tela, Honduras their home.
Check out this preview of the music fueling this powerful movement for change for reefs both in Honduras and around the world.
Missed Music for the Ocean in LA? Don’t worry, we’re heading to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts on August 13th for another conservation concert! Get your tickets now and join us in making waves for ocean conservation.
🔗 https://events.whoi.edu/life-on-the-rocks-25
Want to nerd out about coral reefs with someone who gets it?
Join us for a not-your-average book talk with Tela Coral co-founder, ocean scientist & author Juli Berwald @juliberwald! Her book Life On The Rocks is a love letter to coral reefs and the stubborn, brilliant humans fighting to save them. (Spoiler: It’s also LA Times Book Prize-approved 🏆).
The event will open with selections from “Music for the Ocean,” Chad Cannon’s original violin compositions dedicated to the blue planet. These include recordings from coral reefs captured by WHOI scientist Aran Mooney. Make sure you’re on time for the full ~immersive~ experience!
Afterwards, stick around for a real-talk convo with Juli & Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutes’s coral whisperer Dr. Amy Apprill.
Did we mention this coral extravaganza is FREE? No ticket, no fuss - just show up and soak in the science. See ya there! 👀
📍 Redfield Auditorium, 45 Water St,, Woods Hole, MA
⏰ Wednesday, August 13th, 2025 @ 5:30 pm
🔗 https://events.whoi.edu/life-on-the-rocks-25
