Serendipity? My tickets to the big island of Hawaii were already bought when I read that the international nonprofit organization Mission Blue had designated its 141st Hope Spot — Hawaii’s second — right where I was headed. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be learning about — and posting about — the changes taking place on Kahalu’u Bay.  

 

 

Even as 50 percent of the world’s coral has been devastated in recent years, every time I turn around, it seems, I find reasons to hope it can be restored, bounce back, or spawn again where it failed before. Among the reasons that Kahalu’u cauliflower coral has had hundreds of babies in the last two years are the pandemic, which reduced tourism (and snorkeling and suntan lotion), and attention to traditional Hawaiian attitudes that saw land, sea, air, and people are all one. What DO corals want? 

 

 

Watch this space for more. Meanwhile, here’s a previous post about a coral scientist who also contributed to understanding of wildlife here. 

 

 

–Karen Romano Young is a writer, artist, deep-sea diver, and polar explorer. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram.