Gathering Coral

OCEANOS instructor Samuel Suleiman carries a piece of coral to construct a “coral garden” around an endangered species of coral called pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), which he discovered while leading the field work portion of the internship at Playa Melones, Puerto Rico. This underwater garden should attract fish and wildlife such as sea urchins, which will give the endangered coral — and the other species in this small reef — a better chance of survival.