The Coral Goddess @ The Marine Foundation

The Coral Goddess

The house reef outside Bali Taman Sari Cottages in Pemuteran Bali is home to the award winning Karang Lestari coral reef restoration project which uses Bio-rock®, a method that uses a gentle electrical charge to enhance coral growth and survival rates. Only ten years ago this coral reef was almost completely decimated and the success of this project now draws eco tourists from all over the world.

On May 2nd 2011 ‘The Coral Goddess’ Bio-rock sculpture was added to the project and is the first Karang Lastari bio-rock® structure to be powered by a green energy source; The 2 solar panels and marine breeze wind turbine have been installed on a tower 30 meters in front of the Bio-rock centre and a few meters away from her underwater home. She was blessed during a traditional Balinese ceremony, the holy water collected from several important temples including Melanting and Pulaki. It was very moving and special; A complete and perfect combination of all components ; villagers, hotel owners, dive operators, spirits and even a special musician with a special song for the coral goddess by Fantuzzii.

The Coral Goddess is a beautiful creation by artist, Celia Gregory and her Non-profit; The Marine Foundation which merges marine science and creativity to create strong, positive and visual images to raise awareness and innovative eco tourism attraction to generate an on-going income for the community.

I, Celia Gregory was so moved at how everyone came together, not motivated by money but by a shared goal and dream, a true community effort. It was by an organic and magically unfolding that Rani ( the projects founder) and Celia managed to raise the money with the support from small donors from around the world but aside from financial donations, it is people’s time and contribution of their skill and enthusiasm that made and is making the coral goddess possible. It is also with great gratitude to Pak Agung Prana and family who own Taman Sari Bungalows, Pak Prana is head of the NGO Karanh Lastari and the initial force behind the Pejalang Laut which has been protecting the bay from destructive Fishing.

After placing the sculpture, i with the help of Komang and Made from the bio-rock centre collected baby corals from the surrounding reef. The coral reef project and the bio-rock structures are a nursery for fish and coral which can over flow and repopulate to surrounding area. It takes time for these corals to attach to solid substrate ( like a plant rooting in the soil) so it is the loose ones we attached to the lotus flower, also for many reasons coral can be damaged and pieces break off, it is also these that we re-place. i carefully selected the corals using only blues for the upper petals and more textures corals for the lower leaves, approaching the transplanting process like a gardener would, lovingly attending to flowers in a flowerbed thinking of the colours, how they will grow over time and ensuring they have the best chance to survive. The Coral Goddess is now living and growing, fish have moved in and this artwork will keep evolving,

The Balinese believe that the ceremony they performed put pure magic/ energy/ love/ intention whatever we want to call it into the sculpture so she really is a prayer for us and the health of our seas, an underwater shrine. This is just the beginning.

Rani who initiated this regeneration project has a dream that one day the whole project will be powered by alternative energy. The Coral Goddess symbolises an important turning point in our transition off the grid.

It is now possible to visit the goddess, you can snorkel from the bio-rock centre, see her from bio rock centre’s glass bottomed boat, do a shallow try dive with Bali Dive Academy or support the project through the sponsor a coral program and have your name forever underwater.

Our working partners are - Bio-rock centre, managing the Karang Lastari NGO and SPONSOR A BABY CORAL program / www.biorockbali.webs.com

Hotel partner and host – Taman Sari Cottages / www.balitamansari.com

Dive business partner – Bali Dive academy /www.scubali.com

The marine Foundation / www.themarinefoundation.org

Bio-rock -www.globalcoral.org

Energy unit / PT. Alternative Energy Solusi Indonesia / Renewable Energy

or follow us on The Coral Goddess Community on Facebook