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Turks And Caicos Reef Fund

@tcreef_fund

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Non-profit, on a mission to preserve and protect the Turks and Caicos islands marine ecosystems through Education, Research, Advocacy, & Inclusion
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We’ve updated our hours! Now open 12-4pm Monday to Friday and 10am-1pm Sat. If you haven’t stopped by yet, here’s what’s waiting for you: 🪸 A 400-gallon living coral biobank with approximately 200 coral colonies from 11 priority species 🌿🐟🦀🐚 Two display tanks + a mini, thriving mangrove tank 🔬 A hands-on microscope station with sands from around the world—seriously, wait until you see these worlds up close! ✨️💎⛱️ It’s a small space packed with real, working reef science including plenty to spark your curiosity. Fun for the whole family! New hours: Mon–Fri: 12–4 PM Sat: 10 AM–1 PM 📍 South Bank Marina, Long Bay (Closed on holidays) Come spend some time with us, you’ll never look at the ocean the same way again! 😎🩵 #TurksAndCaicosIslands #TurksAndCaicosReefFund #Marineconservation #EnvironmentalAdvocacy #livingcoralbiobank by @tcreef_fund
1
4 months ago
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We are so proud of this one! This video is now playing on loop at the arrivals hall at the Providenciales International Airport. Thank you @oceaneyesmedia and @charliedivebum for donating your amazing cinematography skills to helping us spread the word and raise awareness! Do you want to help by adding these 30seconds to your business' closed-circuit television? Contact Alizée on alizee@tcreef.org JOIN THE MOVEMENT! Www.tcreef.org - - - - - - - - - #jointhemovement #turksandcaicosreeffund #turksandcaicosislands #volunteer #nonprofit #conservation #marinescience #protectwhatyoulove by @tcreef_fund
16
3 years ago
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The dolphins came to say hi on Saturday 🥰 felt like a thank you from mamma ocean. We're starting to notice more disease presence on colonies that should be in full prep for spawning in the first week of August 😔 but hopefully we can help these colonies make it through the season. We are in full preparation mode for a week of spawning monitoring to start producing a calendar for the TCI thanks to a grant from the @biodiversitychallengefunds Ourr team is going out, mapping large reproductive colonies and treating any sick ones. At a time when corals are struggling, it takes every effort to give them a fighting chance to pass on their genetics. #protectwhatyoulove by @tcreef_fund
6
4 days ago
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We’re excited to be in Auckland for #ICRS2026, the largest coral reef conference in the world! 🌊🪸 This week, the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund team will be presenting 4 talks and 2 posters, showcasing innovative research from the Turks & Caicos Islands. Stop by and say hi to both Dr. Taylor and Grace and add their presentations to your schedule! This work represents a collaboration between the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund and Salina Communications, led by CEO & Founder Grace Mann, demonstrating the power of combining science, conservation, and strategic storytelling to advance reef protection. We’re proud to be bringing a little Caribbean flare and of course science to the global stage and look forward to connecting with researchers, conservationists, and reef advocates from around the world. If you’re attending #ICRS2026, we’d love to meet you! Let’s connect! Our dms are open 😉 taken in Auckland, New Zealand by @tcreef_fund
0
7 days ago
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Day 6 RumPowered Research® 2026 We saved the best for last. On the final dive of our expedition, our citizen scientists headed off on an exploratory dive. What they found stopped us all in our tracks. A giant Staghorn Coral haystack stretching across the reef - something that felt like stepping back into the Caribbean of the 1970s. Sharks cruised effortlessly through the reef. Hundreds of parrotfish moved together in great schools and living staghorn coral stretched as far as we could see. For a few moments, it felt like we were looking back in time. Discoveries like this remind us that exploration still matters. There are still places waiting to surprise us. Still reefs that have stories to tell. Still reasons to believe that healthy coral ecosystems exist, and that they're worth fighting for. This remarkable reef wasn't found by chance. It was found because eighteen people from different backgrounds came together with a shared purpose: to explore, to learn, and to better understand the reefs of the Turks and Caicos Islands. That's what RumPowered Research® is all about. As this year's expedition comes to an end, we'd like to thank every scientist, volunteer, citizen scientist, partner, sponsor, and crew member who made it possible. Because sometimes the greatest treasure isn't gold... It's hope. Life finds a way. 🪸💙 Our team is planning out how to best map, monitor, and protect this reef. In the meantime, dont ask us where it is.... we won't tell 🙃 #RumPoweredResearch #TCReefFund #EastCaicos #CitizenScience #protectwhatyoulove by @tcreef_fund
15
8 days ago
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Day 5 RumPowered Research® 2026 We've been a little quiet over the last couple of days... but that's because we've been busy doing fieldwork in prep for our next expeditipn coming up beginning of August! Our fifth and final full dive day for RumPowered Research® 2026 was every bit as productive as the first four. We started with one last unforgettable dive at East Caicos and discovered a treasure worth far more than gold. 🪸✨ We're keeping that story for tomorrow because it deserves its own post. After a smooth transit with following seas back to Providenciales, it was straight back to work at our Thunderdome in-situ coral nursery. The corals we collected from East Caicos were carefully added to the nursery, increasing the genetic diversity of our restoration programme and helping build stronger, more resilient coral populations for the future. While that work was underway, our citizen scientists rolled up their sleeves to clean nursery structures, removing algae and fouling organisms so the corals can continue to thrive. Everything looked so good afterwards! Another highlight of today was during the transit, when science gave way to culture. Our very own Ishan Bowen led everyone through an evening celebrating Turks & Caicos culture, sharing the history of Ripsaw music before handing out the instruments so everyone could give it a try. As it turns out... everyone has rhythm. 🎶🇹🇨 One of the things that makes RumPowered Research® so special is that it's about more than science. It's about connecting people to the reefs, to each other, and to the culture of the islands we're all working to protect. Tomorrow we'll share the story of the incredible discovery that made our final East Caicos dive...one we'll never forget... Stay tuned. 👀 Amazing videos by: Derick Lonzano-Walkerb@walkwildfilms #RumPoweredResearch #TCReefFund #CoralRestoration #EastCaicos #TurksAndCaicos by @tcreef_fund
2
8 days ago
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Day 4 RumPowered Research® 2026 Today we looked a little closer. One of the priorities of this expedition was assessing coral health, treating active disease, and collecting tissue samples that will help us better understand the genetic diversity of the reefs of East Caicos. 🪸 Coral Disease Treatment Every colony matters. As we explored our monitoring sites, the team searched for corals showing signs of disease. When appropriate, affected colonies were treated to help slow disease progression and give them the best chance of survival. It's meticulous work that requires careful observation, patience, and teamwork underwater. 🧬 Tissue Sampling Small tissue samples were collected from a range of coral species as part of our expanding genetic research programme. By studying the DNA of these corals, we hope to gain understanding on how populations are connected, how much genetic diversity exists on these remote reefs, and which colonies may hold the greatest potential for future restoration efforts. Every sample collected today represents another piece of a much larger puzzle. One of the best parts of the day was watching everyone work together. Scientists, volunteers, photographers, citizen scientists, and dive professionals all had a role to play. Whether recording data, assisting with treatments, documenting procedures, or helping locate colonies, every contribution mattered. This is what RumPowered Research® is all about! Bringing together people with different skills to work together. 🥃🪸💪💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿🪸🥃 #RumPoweredResearch #TCReefFund #CoralDisease #CoralGenetics #MarineScience by @tcreef_fund
0
12 days ago
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Day 3 RumPowered Research® 2026 📸 Today belonged to photogrammetry. Photogrammetry is the process of taking thousands of overlapping photographs that are stitched together to create a highly detailed 3D model of the reef. These digital reefs allow us to revisit the site again and again, measuring changes in coral cover, colony growth, structural complexity, and reef health over time. This year, we returned to the large 25 × 25 m photogrammetry plots we established at East Caicos in 2025. But before we could begin photographing, we had a challenge to solve. How do you swim in a straight line across a reef for 25 metres while taking thousands of overlapping photos? The answer turned out to be surprisingly simple.🍷🍷🍷 Armed with wine corks, brightly coloured flagging tape, and whatever scrap metal we could find for weights, the team built dozens of flowing underwater markers. Placed every five metres around the perimeter of the plots, they became our underwater guideposts, waving gently in the current like those inflatable dancers outside a car dealership. It was simple, effective, and another example of how innovation in the field often comes from working together. This particular idea was the brainchild of our captain JF. One of the best parts? Our citizen scientists and volunteers were right in the middle of it all, helping build and deploy the system that made the day's work possible. Meanwhile, the Planet Werx team continued testing next-generation water quality sensors as part of their R&D programme, Dr. Michelle Taylor deployed the stereo-video system, and we completed both AGRRA fish and benthic surveys within the photogrammetry plots. Together, these complementary datasets will give us one of the most comprehensive pictures we've ever collected of a section of reef. We even managed to sneak in a little time to capture content for our RumPowered Research sponsors. A day of innovation, collaboration, and cutting-edge reef science... All thanks to Rum. 🥃🪸 #RumPoweredResearch #TCReefFund #Photogrammetry #MarineScience #protectwhatyoulove by @tcreef_fund
1
12 days ago
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Day 2 RumPowered Research® 2026 Day 2 was all about teamwork, exploration, and learning. 🪸 Our reef survey team completed full Atlantic Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) benthic and fish surveys at two long-term monitoring sites, while also photographing coral transects for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN). Long-term monitoring helps us understand how our reefs are changing through time. 🤿 Meanwhile, our ROV team deployed the Deep Trekker along the eastern side of East Caicos, capturing video transects to depths of 300 metres and giving us a glimpse into ecosystems rarely seen. 📚 Between dives, we swapped wetsuits for notebooks. We hosted an onboard session on coral reef and benthic ecology to help our citizen scientists and volunteers better understand the science behind our work. Learning to observe nature is one of the most valuable skills we can develop. The more we notice, the more we question and understand. Understanding leads to empowerment to protect the places we love. ⚓ Another team, with the incredible support of the Turks & Caicos Explorer II crew, inspected the three moorings at Drum Point so we could swap them out if needed. 🔬 Our final dive took us to those three drum Point sites for a reconnaissance survey—assessing reef condition, identifying coral disease treatment opportunities, evaluating colonies for histopathology, and searching for cryptic species for genetic sampling. To finish the day, AGRRA's online data portal allowed us to visualize our survey results almost immediately—a rewarding end to an incredibly productive day. After a packed schedule from sunrise to sunset, everyone turned in early, ready for whatever Day 3 would bring.🌅 #RumPoweredResearch #TCReefFund #AGRRA #CitizenScience #divewithapurpose by @tcreef_fund
3
13 days ago
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One week ago we got back from a week at sea. For the next 6 days, we're taking you behind the scenes of our RumPowered Research® expedition. 🌊🪸🔬👩🏿‍🔬✨️ This isn't just a dive trip. It's a week of long days, scientific surveys, problem solving, teamwork, and collecting the data that helps us better understand and protect the reefs of the Turks and Caicos Islands. At TCReef we strive to better protect, preserve, rebuild healthy reefs and marine ecosystems through research, education, advocacy and inclusion. RumPowered Research® makes that mission possible by bringing scientists, photographers, conservationists, and citizen scientists together to explore some of the most remote reefs in the country. 💪💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿 Take a look at all the logos on these videos. Every one represents a partner, funder, research institution, government agency, business, or individual who helped make this expedition possible. Conservation research at this scale doesn't happen alone - it happens through collaboration, shared knowledge, and people working towards a common goal. Day 1 wasted no time getting started... Our first challenge? Finding our missing mooring! The buoy and line had disappeared, leaving only the pin somewhere on the seafloor. After two dives and a determined search, we found it. With the boat safely secured, it was time for a checkout dive so everyone could test their scientific equipment, cameras, and dive systems before the real work began. Then it was straight down to business. Our final dive of the day was a full AGRRA survey at one of our long-term repeat monitoring sites off East Caicos—collecting critical data that allows us to track how these reefs are changing over time. This was day 1. Follow along as we take you with us, one day at a time, into the science, the challenges, and the incredible reefs we're working to protect. 🪸 🎥 @walkwildfilms #RumPoweredResearch #turksandcaicosreeffund #CitizenScience #nonprofit #bethechange by @tcreef_fund
8
14 days ago
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⚠️ ATTENTION SEAFARERS ⚠️ TCIAA, DECR, and TC Reef Fund are deploying meteorological ocean monitoring buoys around the Turks and Caicos Islands as part of a regional project. These buoys will help provide the TCI community with more accurate sea conditions and marine weather information. Please do NOT tie up to these buoys — they are not moorings. More details on this project to follow. Please help spread the word within our TCI boating community! taken in Turks and Caicos Islands by @tcreef_fund
1
16 days ago
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Join us in wishing our Coral Aquarist Gracie @tidal.aquaria a happy happy birthday! Thanks for everything you do Gracie! 🪸✨️🎊 by @tcreef_fund
16
17 days ago
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