Quarterly Report Bira June 2026

Valentina Serrazanetti – Senior Instructor 

The past quarter at the Bira Project has been another incredible chapter of growth, learning, and conservation.

Every graduate contributed to the unique atmosphere that makes the Bira Project feel like home, and we are incredibly proud of everything they achieved during their time with us. It has been especially exciting to watch many of our former interns continue their professional diving journeys. Cami Bender (USA), Kaya Cohen (USA), Katherine Grace Price (USA), and Mirthe de Louw (Netherlands) have all gone on to become dive instructors, taking the next step in their careers and sharing their passion for the ocean with future generations of divers.

Others have chosen to pursue careers in marine science and conservation. Matthew Nagel (UK) is now working in genome research, applying his scientific skills to important environmental challenges, while Olivia Le Gouvello (France) is beginning her Master’s degree in Marine Biology—an exciting milestone that reflects her dedication to ocean conservation. Many other graduates are currently exploring Indonesia, taking time to experience the country’s incredible culture, landscapes, and biodiversity before embarking on their next adventures.

Beyond the projects and achievements, what continues to make the Bira Project truly special is the sense of community we share. Through training, conservation work, shared meals, celebrations, and everyday moments together, we continue to build a supportive and inspiring environment where people from around the world can learn, grow, and make a positive impact.

As we look ahead to the next quarter, we are excited to welcome new interns, expand our conservation initiatives, and continue working toward a healthier future for our oceans and the communities that depend on them.

Sudar Syarieff – Marine Biologist

Bira high season kicked off this quarter! With the east monsoon rolling in, we shifted our focus back to the west side. This meant our surveys at Liukang Island were back on track, bringing us a ton of incredible megafauna sightings, along with some great encounters over at Kambing Island. It’s been an incredibly busy and exciting quarter for science. A huge thank you to our lovely interns for keeping up the pace and for all their hard work!

Monitoring Progress

BRUV Findings

Our BRUV cameras gave us some crazy results! We recorded a Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) at a site where we’ve never seen them before. At other sites, our loyal resident Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks showed up, along with a Giant Moray Eel (Gymnothorax javanicus) “dancing” on the bait pole. Other great BRUV sightings included Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas), Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus), Bigeye Trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus), Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis), Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), and Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus). We also got our very first record of a Brassy Trevally (Caranx papuensis)! All of these findings show that we are staying right on target with monitoring important fish biomass, high-trophic predators, and benthic biodiversity.

Restoration Maintenance and Progress

The corals in our nursery are growing beautifully. They are healthy and ready to move onto permanent structures. We propagated and moved 3 different species of Acropora spp. to fill 4 new spider frames. To maintain high genetic diversity, we plan to fill the empty nursery spaces with new, diverse coral fragments soon.

In total, we are now managing 557 coral fragments in the nursery and 36 spider frames, representing 8 different species across 4 genera. Maintenance has been a fun and relaxing part of the job, mostly focused on carefully removing high-risk predators like Drupella spp. snails, sponges, algae, and tunicates.

Mangrove Updates

We also hosted 3 mangrove planting days! We successfully planted 286 new mangroves and are currently growing another 300 new mangroves in our nursery. By keeping this constant cycle of collecting and growing going, we are ensuring a steady expansion of the Bira mangrove fringe, which provides vital coastal protection and habitat.

Community Outreach and Public Engagement

Our work with local communities and organizations is going strong. We teamed up with Dego Dego Na Bira for two massive coral restoration dives, deploying 28 spider frames and planting 672 coral fragments from their nursery! To make sure these transplants thrive, we’ve been doing monthly maintenance dives with them ever since.

Turtle nesting season kicked off in May, so we put a massive effort into cleaning Marumasa Beach, a key nesting site. Partnering with Indo Ocean Project, Gaia One, Dego Dego Na Bira, and others, we successfully removed 2,005.3 kg of trash in just two months. Thank you to everyone for the hard work!

To top it all off, the fishermen at Marumasa Beach gave us some amazing news, they found a sea turtle nest and kept it safe. Thanks to them, we were able to naturally release 90 juvenile Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) into the ocean.

Mia Johnston – Senior Instructor

The past three months have been a busy and rewarding period for the Bira team. Between workshops, field activities, intern development, and plenty of adventures both in and out of the water, there has been no shortage of memorable moments.

As always, working in the marine environment comes with its own lessons. June brought some particularly rough ocean conditions, reminding us once again that our beautiful office deserves a healthy amount of respect. Changing winds, waves, and currents meant that plans occasionally needed to be adapted at the last minute. While these situations can be challenging, they provided valuable reminders about the importance of flexibility, risk assessment, and staying humble when working at sea. The ocean is constantly changing, and learning to adapt remains one of the most important skills we can develop.

Back in Bira, Friday night curry nights at Tevana have remained a firm favourite, bringing interns and staff together after a busy week of diving and workshops. Beach volleyball games have become increasingly competitive, and many interns have taken advantage of additional training opportunities with Blue Planet, completing courses such as Nitrox and Deep Diver specialties. On days off, groups have explored some of the area’s natural attractions, including local caves and climbing spots, making the most of everything the region has to offer above the waterline as well.

On a personal note, this quarter has been particularly significant for me as it marks my first few months working in Bira after spending the previous year with the Raja project. While it was certainly difficult to say goodbye to Raja and the incredible experiences I had there, settling into life in Bira has been a wonderful new chapter. Bira feels slightly less remote, offering easier access to different foods, activities, and places to explore, while still maintaining the strong sense of local community that makes working in these projects so special. It has been exciting to get to know a new team, a new environment, and a new group of interns while continuing to contribute to the work of Indo Ocean Project.

As always, a huge thank you goes to all of the interns, staff, local partners, and community members who have contributed to another successful quarter. We are looking forward to continuing the journey together and creating many more memories in the months ahead.