Learn How to Plant Corals Organically on Usukan Island, Borneo

Learn How to Plant Corals Organically on Usukan Island, Borneo

Location
  • Malaysia
    • Kota Kinabalu
Length
4 to 12 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
18
Age Max
40
Timeframe
Year Round
Housing
Guesthouse Tent
Groups
Small Group (1-15)
Travel Type
Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

$1,008
Price Details
$72 USD per day, per person. Minimum stay is 2 weeks ($1,008 total); maximum is 3 months ($6,480 total). Your daily fee covers on-site accommodation, 3 home-cooked meals per day, full dive/snorkeling and field equipment (you don't have to be a scuba diver to join), mandatory Coral Ranger training with Monica Chin (cert included), and all transport from Kota Kinabalu to Usukan Island and back. Rolling intake — you choose your start date.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Accommodation Activities Some Activities Equipment Meals Some Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa Wifi
Jul 16, 2026
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About Program

Usukan Island's coral reefs have lost 70–80% of their coral coverage from blast fishing and heat wave bleaching — and we're rebuilding them from scratch. As a Coral Ranger, you'll work directly alongside Monica Chin, our lead instructor of the organic coral propagation method that uses natural ocean-derived substrates instead of metal frames and man-made materials — a methodology we used for nearly a decade. Your days include coral nursery maintenance, underwater monitoring dives (if you are certified), and reef surveys that feed into real long-term restoration targets. This is a working conservation centre on a living island — not a resort activity. We run intentionally small: maximum 6 volunteers at any time, so every person has real responsibility, not a supporting role. You'll leave with PADI-level dive exposure, hands-on restoration skills, and a conservation portfolio built on actual field data from Usukan Island.

Program Highlights

  • Learn How to propagate corals organically instead of using man-made materials and structures — no metal frames, no shortcuts, developed on this reef
  • Two rest days a week that are entirely yours — snorkel, explore the island, sit by a bonfire, or do nothing. You earned it
  • Wake up on a protected island in Borneo, dive or snorkel into the ocean before breakfast, and spend your mornings restoring a reef that was nearly wiped out
  • Leave with an SSI-recognized certificate & real field credentials you can add to your CV

Video and Photos

Program Impact

Since 2022, we've hosted over 200 volunteers from 38+ countries, maintaining a 4.8 average rating across the board. Our coral restoration work has propagated over 10,945 coral fragments across 20+ nurseries, achieving a 70% coral survival rate and impacting 735 metres of reef. Alongside that, we've made an impact across 45 acres of forest — and we're just getting started.

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