Coral Propagation Table:

Figure G16: Beach based coral table (available in Sketch-Up™). Table must be underwater to the point where the coral planting tray is under water at all times, and protected from heavy surge. Umbrellas shade the entire table from sunlight. Coral table workers from left to right, ‘wet hands’ (kneeling), table boss (behind table), dry hands.

RBF uses two types of coral propagation tables depending on the situation; a beach-based table (Figure G16) or floating platform (Figure G17) is used for fragging, plugging and plug curing. A complete 3-D engineering plan can be obtained without cost by downloading Google’s free Sketch-Up™utility. For both designs, an umbrella or tarp is necessary to shield coral fragments (and Coral Team members!!) from sunburn. Careful attention should be made to ensure that the table is stable in waves. We have made a wide variety of variations of the coral propagation table to accommodate individual project needs. It is important to consider the number of coral propagations you plan to accomplish, the conditions at the work site, and the number of people that will be working before designing your table. A good table increases the comfort level for team members and makes higher volume production easier, but it can take longer to build and is usually more expensive. A small table workspace can be made just about anywhere, but may be uncomfortable and slow for production. If you are just demonstrating the technology for a school, that might be sufficient. If you plan to do tens of thousand of plugs, make the table as comfortable and convenient as possible. If you can spend a few extra hours building the table and reduce the time it takes you to make each plug by even a few seconds, you’ll gain two entire work days!

Figure G17: Floating coral table. Floating tables are ideal for use in most low energy locations, are more comfortable for the table workers, and automatically adjust for factors such as tides. If resources and conditions permit, consider the construction of a floating table.