Coral Reef Field Training in Little Cayman: CCMI’s Summer Professional Courses

For most of us, “fieldwork on a healthy Caribbean reef” is a line in someone else’s CV. This summer, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute is offering two courses that put it in yours.

CCMI is a non-profit marine research and education organisation based on Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands, where it has run coral reef research and conservation programmes for 28 years. Its Little Cayman Research Centre sits beside the Bloody Bay Marine Park, on reefs that count among the healthiest left in the Caribbean. The station holds one of the longest continuous records of reef health in the region and operates one of the Caribbean’s oldest coral nursery facilities. Little Cayman is also a Mission Blue Hope Spot, and CCMI carries a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and a four-star Charity Navigator rating, for those who like their conservation organisations audited.

Both of the summer courses are residential and built around in-water training rather than lecture-hall theory.

Field Research Skills in Coral Reef Management and Restoration

A seven-day residential course for university graduates, advanced undergraduates, and working professionals with a background in marine science or tropical coastal management. Participants train in coral restoration (nursery tree installation, fragmentation, and outplanting), rapid reef assessment using AGRRA methodology, and environmental monitoring, taught by the CCMI scientists who collect that long-running reef dataset. The course also carries two PADI specialty certifications: Peak Performance Buoyancy and AWARE Coral Reef Conservation.

Dates: 14 to 20 June 2026

Location: Little Cayman Research Centre, Little Cayman

Fee: US $2,400. Includes shared accommodation, three meals a day, lectures, up to ten dives across the week (a night dive and multiple boat dives among them), restoration field activities, and transport on Little Cayman. International and inter-island flights, travel and health insurance are not included.

Prerequisites: Experienced Open Water divers (a minimum of 12 dives, at least 2 in the past 12 months) with a basic grounding in marine ecology.

Download the course brochure (PDF)

Coral Reef Resilience and Restoration

An eight-day field course that pairs the science of reef resilience with hands-on restoration work. Students learn how reef ecosystems function and respond to disturbance, design and run a small independent research project, and practise coral nursery construction, fragmentation, and propagation. It is open to a wider range of water comfort than the research-skills course: confident snorkellers are welcome, and SCUBA divers of any level can take part. Participants earn the PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation specialty.

Dates: 16 to 23 August 2026

Location: Little Cayman Research Centre, Little Cayman

Fee: US $2,600. Includes shared accommodation, three meals a day, lectures, all snorkels and dives over the eight days (including multiple boat dives), land activities, and transport on Little Cayman. International and inter-island flights, travel and health insurance are not included.

Prerequisites: Confident swimmers with snorkelling experience and a background in science. SCUBA certification is optional and any level is welcome.

Download the course brochure (PDF)

How to enrol

Places are limited and the June course is close, so early enquiries are sensible. Full course details and registration are on the CCMI website, and the education team can confirm availability and talk through the prerequisites directly.

CCMI Professional Courses page

Course enquiries: education@reefresearch.org

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