On a sunny day off the south shore of Oʻahu, we had the joy of welcoming Madeleine, a 13-year-old aspiring marine biologist, and her mom to our Discover Conservation Diving Tour. What followed was an inspiring one-day journey filled with education, exploration, and hands-on science — all focused on understanding and protecting our coral reefs and honu (green sea turtles).

🐢 Dive One: Sea Turtle Science at the Cleaning Station

Our morning began with an overview of coral reef ecology and sea turtle biology, diving deep into topics like mutualistic behaviors, ecological indicators, and threats to reef health. We then headed out to the eastern edge of Kewalo Pipe, home to one of Oʻahu’s most active honu cleaning stations.

There, Madeleine took on the role of a marine scientist — observing, documenting, and collecting ecological data on multiple turtles. She assessed:

• Species (all green sea turtles),
• Age class and sex,
• Signs of fibropapillomatosis, a virus affecting Hawaiian honu,
• And cleaning behaviors from reef fish.

We captured high-resolution images of both sides of the turtles’ faces, which Madeleine later used with the i3s Pattern recognition software. One honu stood out, and she gave it a name — “Raffie the Honu” — becoming the turtle’s symbolic adopter and official ID contributor to our growing turtle database.

📸 Dive Two: Reef Mapping and Coral Disease Monitoring

In the afternoon, Madeleine helped transform science into action. We traveled to Horseshoe Reef, a hotspot for both biodiversity and recent coral disease concerns. Together, we established a 30-meter by 2-meter photogrammetry plot to document and monitor reef structure and health.

Madeleine was hands-on from start to finish:

• She helped lay scale bars and transect lines,
• Took over 790 high-resolution photos using the structure-from-motion method,
• And learned how we use photogrammetry to create orthomosaics and 3D reef models.

This data has already been rendered and will be used to assess the prevalence of white syndrome, a coral disease that has impacted reefs throughout the region.

🎥 What We Created Together

The results of Madeleine’s work speak for themselves. Included in this post:

• A YouTube video walkthrough of the fully rendered 3D reef model,
• A detailed orthomosaic of Horseshoe Reef,
• And photos of the honu she helped identify and name.

🌱 Why This Matters

Our Discover Conservation Diving Tours are about more than just diving. They’re about building environmental literacy, empowering youth, and making real contributions to science and conservation. Madeleine’s enthusiasm, curiosity, and hard work remind us that the future of our reefs is in good hands.

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Interested in becoming a sea turtle conservationist for a day?
[👉 Learn more and get involved here.]