Aptly called the “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs cover just 1% of the ocean floor, yet support nearly 25% of all marine life. At Peninsula Papagayo, guests are invited to take a hands-on role in protecting this vital ecosystem by building their own coral structure, which will be placed in one of our nurseries during their stay.
Coral adoption offers another meaningful way to make a lasting impact and support the long-term restoration of the reefs in Culebra Bay.
Get involved with our remarkable restoration project and take part in attaching coral fragments to your very own coral frame. A divemaster will then place your coral tree in Bahía Culebra and you can follow along over the next year as the coral grows. Once mature, the thriving coral will be transplanted to a local reef.
Certified Diver? All certified divers are invited to visit our nurseries to watch the restoration in progress and help us clean and care for our growing corals. You may even have a chance to transplant mature coral fragments into the nearby Guiri-Guiri reef.
Program Highlights
8,660+
Growing Fragments
230+
Coral Structures
500+
Coral Heroes
90%
Survival Rate
THE CULEBRA REEF GARDEN ALLIANCE
In partnership with Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and other leading experts, Peninsula Papagayo co-founded the Culebra Reef Gardens Alliance to support restoring coral reefs in the region.
Over 500 million people worldwide depend directly on coral reefs for food, income, coastal protection and more.
Home to over 4,000 species of fish, corals, and other marine life, coral reefs cover only 1% of the world’s oceans, but provide habitat for at least 25% of the world’s marine life, with many reef species still to be discovered.
Healthy coral reefs can absorb up to 97 percent of a wave’s energy, which buffers shorelines from currents, waves, and storms, helping to prevent loss of life and property damage.
Coral reefs play a vital role in medical research, including treatments for cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, leukemia, lymphoma, and skin cancer. More than half of all new cancer drug research focuses on marine organisms, many of which are found on coral reefs.
The real work of planet-saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous.
