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
Are YOU ready to experience one of the ocean’s most magical moments? 🌕🪸🇭🇳
Join us July 28 through August 2, 2026 for a coral spawning AdZENture on the Rebel Reef in Tela, Honduras!
Timed just after the summer full moon, this unforgettable trip gives you the rare chance to witness a surreal “reverse snowstorm” where coral releases its next generation into the sea. It’s one of nature’s most breathtaking (and important) events, and you could witness it with your very own eyes.
This trip, created in partnership with the eco-travel pros at AdZENtures @adzentures who specialize in unforgettable, conservation-focused group trips, also includes the following:
🤿 Diving the Rebel Reef: This reef is thriving while others struggle. Led by coral expert Dr. Juli Berwald, Antal Börcsök of Tela Marine @tela_marine, dive master Christian Carias @scubachris17, and the Tela Coral @telacoral team, you’ll get behind-the-scenes access to the research, restoration, and hope shaping the future of reefs. Your trip includes a $500 donation to support this work.
🎤 Opportunity to do crucial citizen science with The Seabirds @seabirdsquad, collecting acoustic recordings of the Rebel Reef! We’ll lower hydrophones into the water to capture the symphony of sea sounds during a coral spawn.
🌿 Unwinding in a Jungle and Mangrove Paradise: Beyond the reef, you’ve got the option to float among the lush Honduras mangroves (the tallest in Central American) and stay in a stunning treehouse retreat, discovering the magic of Jeanette Kawas National Park.
From day and night dives to culture, conservation, and connection... this is more than a trip, it’s an experience that will stay with you forever.
Book your trip directly on the AdZENtures website: https://goadzenture.com/honduras-coral-reef-conservation-retreat-2026/ or reach out directly to AdZENtures at lindsey@goadzenture.com (a portion of all AdZENtures in Tela is tax-deductible).
New York City and Washington DC... Are you ready to fully immerse yourself in the ocean without ever having to get wet?
Music for the Ocean @musicfornature_official is a one-of-a-kind concert experience that brings the sea to the stage. Emmy-nominated composer and violinist Chad Cannon @chadwickcannon joins pianist Hui Wu @hw.musician and animator Timothy Rauch @tim_rauch to conjure an entire ocean world from a concert hall through original compositions, spontaneous improvisation, breathtaking animation, and immersive sound design.
But the best part? The show builds to its emotional peak with “The Rebel Reef”, a sweeping theme Chad wrote after diving with us in Tela Bay, Honduras, where miles of critically endangered elkhorn coral still flourish in defiance of global reef collapse.
Join us for two unforgettable nights for a concert unlike anything you have ever experienced before:
🎶 Wednesday, May 6th - Symphony Space’s Thalia Theater @symphonyspace in New York, NY @ 7 PM
🎶 Saturday, May 9th - The Atlas Theater @atlaspacdc in Washington D.C. @ 7 PM
A portion of proceeds supports Tela Coral @telacoral and our mission to protect and preserve coral reefs around the world.
Learn more and get tickets your tickets here: https://telacoral.org/musicfortheocean/
Not located in DC/NYC or can’t make it to the shows? Help us spread the word by sharing this post!
Tela’s corals are creating a sizzle! And not just the kind that you hear from the thousands of popping shrimp when you listen to the sounds of healthy reef 🇭🇳🪸
Here’s a look at where our story of The Rebel Reef has been featured lately:
🗞️ Deseret News @deseretnews spotlighted our partner Chad Cannon @chadwickcannon ahead of the Music for the Ocean @musicfornature_official Utah concerts, tracing his journey from violin prodigy to composer and ultimately to the reefs of Tela that inspired his work.
🗞️ The Economist @theeconomist also featured a score written by Chad for a piece inspired by the powerful currents surrounding Japan.
🗞️ Oceanus Magazine @oceanusmagazine did a deep dive into the search for coral solutions, following our cofounder Juli Berwald’s @juliberwald recent visit to Woods Hole and her unexpected path that led straight to Tela’s reefs. They additionally put the spotlight on our amazing partnership with Music for the Ocean.
🗞️ SPDH TV @spdhtv_noticias in Honduras aired two segments on our partner Tela Marine @tela_marine, highlighting both marine and terrestrial life at the country’s only free public aquarium, welcoming over 240,000 visitors each year.
From science to storytelling, our mission is reaching further than ever... and we’re only just getting started.
Dive into the full media roundup and read each individual story here: https://telacoral.org/media-roundup/
In a sea of negative environmental stories, The Rebel Reef offers something else: hope.
Within Tela Bay, critically endangered elkhorn coral grows in sprawling thickets, These structures, which have vanished from most of the Caribbean, provide habitat and food for reef ecosystems and shoreline protection for coastal communities. Incredibly, Tela’s corals also show astonishing resilience against bleaching and disease.
These corals continue to inspire us at Tela Coral @telacoral and our local partners in Honduras. We’re striving to understand why these corals behave so differently and how we can apply those lessons to protect reefs globally. We’ve shared this story through our award-winning documentary “The Rebel Reef: Seeds of Hope” @rebelreeffilm, built a virtual reality experience at Tela Marine @tela_marine Aquarium, and are currently fundraising to build mainland Honduras’ first genetic coral biobank: a living library of irreplaceable coral genetics.
And, we cannot do it alone. Whether you’re in Honduras or on the other side of the globe, you can be part of this work by making a donation. Your support fuels the science, the storytelling, and the local capacity-building that makes all of this possible. Donations of $35 or more include a special thank-you gift from our team: a Tela Coral hat, or a signed copy of “Life on the Rocks” or “Spineless”... two amazing books written by our co-founder and president, Juli Berwald @juliberwald.
Are you ready to help The Rebel Reef remain rambunctious? Donate today a telacoral.org/support.
Tela Coral is a 501(c)(3) organization so your donation is tax deductible!
The prestigious Explorers Club @the_explorers_club has featured The Rebel Reef in “Letters from the Edge,” their latest collection of adventure stores, and we’re obsessed!
This book gathers first-person letters from explorers around the world — stories of curiosity, bravery, and discovery — to discover what we learn about ourselves when we stand at the edge.
Tela Coral @telacoral co-founder and Explorers Club member Tiffany Duong @tiffmakeswaves was invited to share the magic behind The Rebel Reef.
Our chapter, titled “Half Dead or Half Alive?”, tells the story of the 2023 mass mortality event that hit the reef of Tela Bay. A large swath of coral died in just days, for reasons we still can’t fully explain. The story unfolds through the raw text messages between our Honduran partner Antal Borcsok of Tela Marine @tela_marine and co-founder Juli Berwald @juliberwald in the immediate aftermath. You can feel the shock, the grief, and the urgency.
Luckily, that’s not where the story ends. About the half of the reef survived and/or is growing back. Casita, our beloved mountainous star coral, remains half alive and continues to breathe awe into our team; baby corals grow on the skeletons of dead reefs; life, amidst the destruction.
The lesson we took from that moment is clear: we don’t have time to wait. In a sea made more unpredictable by climate change, action must move faster than uncertainty. That urgency is why we are building the first genetic biobank and marine biology lab for corals on the Honduran mainland.
We are deeply grateful to The Explorers Club for giving this story a permanent home between the covers of this beautiful book.
If you’d like to read our chapter (and so many other powerful stories of adventure and exploration), you can find Letters from the Edge wherever books are sold.
