Murex Bangka’s Coral Farm – Become an Ocean Gardener
At Murex Bangka we are passionate about protecting and conserving the natural resources that this beautiful island has to offer. In 2018, as part of our environmental commitment, and in partnership with Ocean Gardener, we have constructed a coral nursery. This very special coral farm shows our dedication to maintaining coral reefs and ensuring the beauty of Bangka Island underwater for generations to come. An ideal way to visit the coral farm – and to add to it’s growth, is to take an Ocean Gardener program with us and learn how to plant corals of your own.
Bangka Island’s coral farm and Ocean Gardening
We have eight nursery frames installed in the water and we are growing a selection of hard and soft corals, all which are native to the shallow, underwater habitat around Bangka. The aim of this project is to create an underwater classroom where we can not only teach divers about corals but also get them involved in replanting coral fragments. This is an amazing move forward for Bangka and it will attract a host of reef fish.
Join us for Ocean Gardening at Bangka Island
The Coral Farm (Education Nursery) is part of the Ocean Gardener Courses, which we are proud to offer at both Murex Manado and Murex Bangka. Once students in Bangka have completed four coral identification dives they can visit the coral nursery and help with fragmentation and replanting corals. This is an amazing addition to your stay with us!
The fragments which we are growing in the nursery have been very carefully and scientifically extracted from nearby reefs. They are fragments which have broken off from their mother colonies and are found covered in the sand. We take these corals and give them a new lease of life in the nursery where they can regain strength and start to re-grow. The key to our coral gardening project is understanding the names of each coral which can then inform us about what habitats we need to grow them in and what size they will become.
Ocean Gardener coral nurseries around Bangka
All of our nursery corals are intended to be replanted around Bangka’s dive sites and also to create new off-shore reefs.
By growing species which are already found around Bangka, in the same habitats, we ensure our coral growth will be suitable to repopulate any areas that have become damaged by storms.
We are super excited to be maintaining our reefs in this new and innovative way, thanks to the help and direction from Ocean Gardener.
Become a coral farmer in Bangka
Would you like to be a part of this exciting new project? Find out more about our Ocean Gardener Course here.
Why not discover more of North Sulawesi during your stay and join us for a Passport to Paradise? Explore three distinct locations in one phenomenal trip (Bunaken -> Bangka -> Lembeh) and become an Ocean Gardener at the same time. This is a unique opportunity! Dive Bunaken’s staggering walls, discover Bangka’s kaleidoscopic coral reefs and see the world famous critters of the Lembeh Strait.
Newly planted corals at our coral farm in Bangka
If you’d like to make a reservation or for more information, contact us on [email protected]. We are looking forward to diving with you soon!
