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
If we want to understand and protect coral, one of the most important things to know is when they spawn. That’s the first step in setting up a breeding program, but it’s not easy.
Unable to move around to meet a mate, corals depend on time to give them the best chance of finding a partner. Most coral colonies spawn just once a year at a precise 20-minute or so period when other nearby colonies of the same species are also spawning.
How do they know what the right time is? They glean cues from the environment.
But the thing is we don’t speak coral well enough to know when those auspicious moments are. Coral scientists have spent untold hours underwater at night watching coral colonies trying to map out the spawning calendar on their reef. And in some places, they’ve built pretty decent spawning calendars.
Our very own Juli Berwald (@juliberwald) recently went down to #TheRebelReef in an attempt to observe spawning, especially since it has yet to be documented in Tela. We’re excited to share more with you all about what Juli observed and what that means for the future of this reef!
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
If we want to understand and protect coral, one of the most important things to know is when they spawn. That’s the first step in setting up a breeding program, but it’s not easy.
Unable to move around to meet a mate, corals depend on time to give them the best chance of finding a partner. Most coral colonies spawn just once a year at a precise 20-minute or so period when other nearby colonies of the same species are also spawning.
How do they know what the right time is? They glean cues from the environment.
But the thing is we don’t speak coral well enough to know when those auspicious moments are. Coral scientists have spent untold hours underwater at night watching coral colonies trying to map out the spawning calendar on their reef. And in some places, they’ve built pretty decent spawning calendars.
Our very own Juli Berwald (@juliberwald) recently went down to #TheRebelReef in an attempt to observe spawning, especially since it has yet to be documented in Tela. We’re excited to share more with you all about what Juli observed and what that means for the future of this reef!
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
Taking a moment to give a HUGE shout-out to some of our team members for their selection as the 2025 Pathfinder Prize Winners.
”The Rebel Reef: Seeds of Hope“ (@rebelreeffilm) is an underwater documentary and VR experience about our beloved reef and this multimedia campaign will focus on the audacity of finding hope. Local “Aquaman” and expedition leader Christian Carias (@scubachris17) will take viewers to Tela, Honduras, to explore #TheRebelReef and the corals that not only continue to defy the odds but give us reasons to believe.
We are so proud of the team who is working to put together this entire campaign and know that it will be MONUMENTAL in getting even more individuals to support #TheRebelReef.
Be sure to follow @rebelreeffilm and make sure to share your congratulations with them while you’re at it!
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
Taking a moment to give a HUGE shout-out to some of our team members for their selection as the 2025 Pathfinder Prize Winners.
”The Rebel Reef: Seeds of Hope“ (@rebelreeffilm) is an underwater documentary and VR experience about our beloved reef and this multimedia campaign will focus on the audacity of finding hope. Local “Aquaman” and expedition leader Christian Carias (@scubachris17) will take viewers to Tela, Honduras, to explore #TheRebelReef and the corals that not only continue to defy the odds but give us reasons to believe.
We are so proud of the team who is working to put together this entire campaign and know that it will be MONUMENTAL in getting even more individuals to support #TheRebelReef.
Be sure to follow @rebelreeffilm and make sure to share your congratulations with them while you’re at it!
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
You all loved our prior introductions to Juli, Heather, and Tiff so we wanted to keep that momentum moving forward by highlighting even more of our amazing team. Everyone say hi to Antal and Alejandra.
Antal and Alejandra were among the first to dive in Tela and recognize the rich ecosystem of #TheRebelReef. They quickly worked to established Tela as a Honduran Marine Protected Area and built an aquarium, @tela_marine, through which thousands of people discover the rare underwater biodiversity. Tela Marine also serves as co-managers of the Tela Bay Marine Protected Area.
The work that these two have done has forged a path forward in the long term protection of #TheRebelReef and we are so thankful to have both of them as a part of the Tela Coral team.
Stay tuned for even more introductions!
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
You all loved our prior introductions to Juli, Heather, and Tiff so we wanted to keep that momentum moving forward by highlighting even more of our amazing team. Everyone say hi to Antal and Alejandra.
Antal and Alejandra were among the first to dive in Tela and recognize the rich ecosystem of #TheRebelReef. They quickly worked to established Tela as a Honduran Marine Protected Area and built an aquarium, @tela_marine, through which thousands of people discover the rare underwater biodiversity. Tela Marine also serves as co-managers of the Tela Bay Marine Protected Area.
The work that these two have done has forged a path forward in the long term protection of #TheRebelReef and we are so thankful to have both of them as a part of the Tela Coral team.
Stay tuned for even more introductions!
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
Did you know that corals have an organism that lives within their tissues?
The symbiotic relationship that corals have with a tiny algae (called zooxanthellae) is quite fascinating. These algae provide the corals with food and oxygen, and in return, the corals provide them with a safe place to live. The alga also gives corals the vibrant colors that we love to see while divining (or snorkeling) on a reef. Overall, it’s a win-win situation!
However, when corals are exposed to stressful conditions, such as high temperatures, pollution, or changes in the water’s chemistry, they expel the zooxanthellae. Without them, the coral loses its color and turns white, hence the term “bleaching.” Corals can not live very long in this state but coral bleaching doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the reef. If the stressor is removed in time, the zooxanthellae can come back and the corals can recover.
Here on #TheRebelReef we sometimes see bleaching but the corals consistently recover and even during other mass bleaching events throughout the Caribbean we often see little to no stress on the corals within Tela Bay. These observations of resilience fill us with hope for the future of our reefs and serve as a reminder of how truly unique #TheRebelReef is.
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
Did you know that corals have an organism that lives within their tissues?
The symbiotic relationship that corals have with a tiny algae (called zooxanthellae) is quite fascinating. These algae provide the corals with food and oxygen, and in return, the corals provide them with a safe place to live. The alga also gives corals the vibrant colors that we love to see while divining (or snorkeling) on a reef. Overall, it’s a win-win situation!
However, when corals are exposed to stressful conditions, such as high temperatures, pollution, or changes in the water’s chemistry, they expel the zooxanthellae. Without them, the coral loses its color and turns white, hence the term “bleaching.” Corals can not live very long in this state but coral bleaching doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the reef. If the stressor is removed in time, the zooxanthellae can come back and the corals can recover.
Here on #TheRebelReef we sometimes see bleaching but the corals consistently recover and even during other mass bleaching events throughout the Caribbean we often see little to no stress on the corals within Tela Bay. These observations of resilience fill us with hope for the future of our reefs and serve as a reminder of how truly unique #TheRebelReef is.
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
Twenty five thousand dollars... and we owe it all to YOU!!!
Confronted with the urgency of facing corals during record heat, Tela Coral launched an emergency campaign earlier this year to build a genetic bank to protect the unusually healthy coral on #TheRebelReef. And the coral loving community responded.
Thanks to generous gifts from around the world and in donations both large and as small as $5, we here at Tela Coral are beyond thrilled to have raised $25,000 for construction of a genetic bank facility. Elkhorn coral will be the initial focus of our gene bank as this species used to dominate the Caribbean (and are expected to soon be extinct in Florida) but still flourish in Tela.
By bringing fragments of corals into aquarium tanks that assure the coral’s health, they become a genetic bank through which we can begin to understand what makes the corals in Tela so special. And, with luck, we can share those lessons with other places and communities.
A huge shout out to all who donated and who continue to support #TheRebelReef.
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela
Twenty five thousand dollars... and we owe it all to YOU!!!
Confronted with the urgency of facing corals during record heat, Tela Coral launched an emergency campaign earlier this year to build a genetic bank to protect the unusually healthy coral on #TheRebelReef. And the coral loving community responded.
Thanks to generous gifts from around the world and in donations both large and as small as $5, we here at Tela Coral are beyond thrilled to have raised $25,000 for construction of a genetic bank facility. Elkhorn coral will be the initial focus of our gene bank as this species used to dominate the Caribbean (and are expected to soon be extinct in Florida) but still flourish in Tela.
By bringing fragments of corals into aquarium tanks that assure the coral’s health, they become a genetic bank through which we can begin to understand what makes the corals in Tela so special. And, with luck, we can share those lessons with other places and communities.
A huge shout out to all who donated and who continue to support #TheRebelReef.
#ExploraHonduras #VisitHonduras #Coral #CoralReefs #Ocean #OceanConservation #CoralRestoration #ReefRestoration #OceanClimateAction #WINGS #WINGSWomenOfDiscovery #WINGSFlag #WomenInScience #WomenInStem #WomenEmpowerment #WomenSupportingWomen #WomensLeadership #SheInspiresMe #Exploration #Honduras #tela