At 7 o'clock in the morning, the author and friends arrived at the dock on Tao Island, preparing to experience a special activity - planting coral. Tao Island is a small island in southern Thailand that enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a world-class diving destination. Tao Island coral cultivation and testing is one of the local characteristic tourism projects. The local government attaches great importance to environmental protection and regularly conducts underwater and beach cleaning to prevent coral reef degradation, marine pollution, and damage to marine life. For tourists, they can join the local coral reef restoration team to learn about coral knowledge.

The author has a deep memory of the experience of "planting coral" on Tao Island. On that day, we boarded the ship, carefully inspected and put on masks, diving suits, fins, oxygen tanks, and other equipment. Then, jump into the mysterious ocean world.

As the coach continued to sink, a colorful underwater world came into view. The faint sunlight penetrated the seawater, gently illuminating the entire seabed, and colorful corals and schools of fish shuttle through it (as shown in the picture).

Coral, as one of the oldest marine organisms on Earth, has extraordinary significance for the health of the ocean and even the Earth. Coral reefs constructed from coral are an essential part of the marine ecosystem, known as the "tropical rainforest of the ocean" and an important home for marine life.

However, due to the impact of climate change, human activities, and environmental pollution, about 60% of coral reefs worldwide are continuously threatened to varying degrees, and the degree of damage to coral reefs on Tao Island is also increasing. In 2020, the Tao Island government organized major diving schools to carry out coral reef planting and conservation activities. Each diving school selects representatives to participate in the training, and after the training, planting activities are carried out in designated areas.

In a moment, we arrived at the most important coral planting site on this trip. In the previous day's class, the coach explained the terrain and landforms of Tao Island, the types of corals, the types of underwater organisms that can be seen in Thailand, and some common ways to protect corals. The coach told us that one of the most direct and effective methods for ecological restoration of coral reefs is to place coral seedlings in suitable sea areas, similar to afforestation, to promote rapid coral recovery. It can be artificially cultivated coral seedlings or still alive coral limbs, fixed and implanted in a suitable framework for cultivation. For today's experience, we chose the latter.

With the coach's command, we scattered around, each searching for a living coral limb. The coach said that live corals are usually smoother and brighter than dead corals, and after coral dies, it usually becomes dull or cracks appear on the surface. If touched on the surface, living corals will still have a certain degree of elasticity and complete structure. Dead corals are usually hard and fragile, but to protect corals, what we can do is to minimize touch.

The process of searching for coral limbs that still have vitality is boring but full of fun. The fun lies in the ability to freely explore nearby waters to a certain extent, observe various fish swimming continuously up close, sometimes play friendly with us underwater visitors, and sometimes shuttle through the coral forest, using their flexible and curved bodies to roll and dance underwater. The various forms of underwater animals and plants are full of surprises and beauty, either as beautiful as flowers or as colorful dreams, making the deep sea even more mysterious.

Holding the found severed limbs in hand, we presented them to the coach like a treasure. After confirming that they belonged to suitable coral severed limbs for planting, we followed the coach to fix these severed limbs on a special metal frame. The coach said that after being fixed in suitable environmental conditions such as water quality, temperature, and terrain for a period of time, these still living corals are likely to survive and grow slowly.

After a period of time, experts will also classify, quantify, and label these corals, and continuously record their growth status and quantity. In the future, experts will continue to conduct health tests on growing corals, using professional electronic devices to monitor factors such as temperature, acidity, and light in the seawater of this area, in order to better help restore and sustain the ecological environment of coral reefs, continue to breed countless marine organisms, and inherit them.

In this coral cultivation and conservation monitoring activity, I deeply realized the beauty and fragility of coral reef ecosystems. The bleaching of coral reefs is shocking, making us realize that human influence on the environment and ecology is profound, and even one's behavior can bring great consequences. This colorful coral reef relies on the efforts of everyone - not stepping on coral reefs, not buying, selling, and collecting coral and marine animal and plant products, reducing the use of chemicals, and not littering.