We are Elizabeth & Wes, a married couple who left the US in 2022 and have made our homes in Cozumel, MX. We both do work for nonprofit organizations that center equitable conservation, and feel strongly about contributing to our local community. As SCUBA divers, this means Caring for Corals. We do this work totally free; our friends and colleagues generously donated roughly $1,400 USD, which paid for us to get some of our basic SCUBA gear, and we have invested a lot in training, gear, and tools. We need your help to keep going!
We volunteer weekly to help remove harmful macroalgae and predatory snails, recover broken coral fragments, collect data, and produce underwater conservation media. And anything else that needs to be done!
Hear from ocean conservationist and volunteer Celi Celorio from our "Fins in the Water" series, highlighting people who give their time, energy and resources to coral restoration.
See a triggerfish attack my camera during nesting season, and a big burst of biodiversity!
We are truly happy to roll up our sleeves and do this hard work on a volunteer basis, BUT we need more training, gear, and tools.
Renting SCUBA equipment each week had become cost-prohibitive for us earlier in the year, and thanks to several generous donors, we were able to raise $1,410 to purchase basic equipment! We also went ahead and paid out of pocket for the cost of a Research Diver certification ($300 USD), and are paying roughly $24/week for tank rentals. Some of our gear also needs to be replaced, and we are missing the opportunity to collect additional photo and video data by only having one basic model GoPro.
Can you support our work? Besides the tank rentals (for which we pay cash), we will upload receipts for all purchases for full transparency.
We have also spent a lot on other items - my coral reef conservation course, dive flashlights, skin suit, swimsuits, first aid for abrasions and stings, brushes, etc., but aren't bothering to include that here. We *will* upload receipts for all purchases coming from donations for full transparency!
I've listed our specific needs and put the price range based on preliminary research, so you understand why we need help!
We need:
*$750: 2 dive computers (bells and whistles aren't necessary, just the basics): $250-$1,200 each, $500-$2,400 total
*$50: Various brushes and scraping tools - $50-75
*$80: 2 dive knives (for safety in the event of entanglement): $40-60 each, $80-120 total
*$200: 1 large full wetsuit (3mm): $150-500
*$40: 1 pair of durable large men's work gloves: $30-50
*$40: 1 pair of durable large women's work gloves (mine are falling apart!): $30-50
*$250: 1 Coral Reef Conservation Course fee: $250
*$300 to recoup the PADI Research Diver course
*$1,026: Olympus underwater camera and housing (note this price is exchanged from MX to USD and changes based on the exchange rate) (links below so you can see how pricey this is!)
$750: A fund for air tank rentals and servicing (each day of diving requires roughly $12 for tank rental; not sure what servicing will cost but I'll assume about $750 would be good for both tanks and servicing for a year or so).
We would also *LOVE* to free Wes up to produce more conservation media for our nonprofit partners to use, and for the world to enjoy. We have budgeted a modest amount of $1,400 USD to support his labor.
We also welcome sponsorships from SCUBA gear manufacturers and sellers! We have approached ScubaPro, which declined to support our work. We don't have the connections to solicit those directly, but absolutely feel free to connect us with them if you do!
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel: @wavesandwi-fi490
Finally, please consider subscribing to our blog, Waves & WiFi: Seeking Peace Through Emigration: www.patreon.com/wavesandwifi
Thank you for helping us to keep on CARING FOR CORALS! :)
