We talk with researchers working on the Reefense R3D Project to develop a hybrid living and artificial reef—that dissipates wave energy and protects the shoreline, while also providing habitat for corals, fishes, and other marine life. We head to the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology to learn about the research and check out innovative technologies—from selective breeding of resilient corals to underwater hydrophones that attract marine life to the reef. 

We talk with R3D project director, Ben Jones, from the University of Hawai’i Applied Research Lab; Kira Hughes, Rob Toonen, Crawford Drury, and Joshua Madin from the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology; and Aaron Thode and Daniel Wangpraseurt from the University of California, San Diego.

Watch the trailer for Season 10, Episode 3 on Vimeo, or YouTube, or on Vimeo with English Subtitles.

Watch related episodes: North Shore Coastal Erosion, Planning for Solutions, Human Assisted Corals, HIMB Technology, Coastal Erosion on Maui, Saving Hawaiʻi’s Beaches, Open House of the Sea (reef sounds @ 18 min), Fish Ears and Algae