This project is part of the a Global Coral Reef Alliance. Twenty-eight GCRA coral nursery structures are installed in the Pemuteran Village Marine Protected Area in Northwest Bali, in cooperation with the Municipality of Pemuteran, Gahawisri (the Balinese Watersports Federation), local dive shops and hotels, and other local stakeholders. With a total length of 300 meters, this is the largest Biorock coral reef nursery and restoration project worldwide, exceeding the combined sizes of all other ongoing projects in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian Ocean.

The Karang Lestari Project began in June 2000, when Dr. Thomas Goreau and Professor Wolf Hilbertz, working with Yos Amerta and divers from Yos Dive Shop, built the first coral nursery in front of Pondok Sari Hotel, Pemuteran. In April 2001, 19 more coral nurseries were installed in front of Taman Sari hotel with assistance from Archipelago Dive Shop, and another nursery was added in front of Reef Seen Aquatics. In October 2002, an international workshop on design and construction of coral nursery was held at the site and three more nurseries were installed in front of the Sea Temple.

Banks of batteries are located on the shore. Cables run out to the wire frame, giving a small charge that attracts and stimulates the coral organisms. The electrical charge also speeds growth.

All of the nursery structures are located in the Pemuteran Coral Reef Protected Area. Corals transplanted onto the structures attract high densities of all type of fish. Spinner dolphins, which vacated the bay due to bomb fishing, have returned to the site where they are protected. All corals used in the projects are broken pieces found on nearby reefs where they were damaged by rolling or falling. They would sooner or later die if not rescued and attached to the nursery structures, creating attractive snorkeling and diving trails. This has greatly enhanced marine life in the area.

News of the Karang Lestari project's success has spread rapidly through Bali's hotels, dive shops and villages. There is now good snorkeling in the area and a number of dive shops have opened to serve the growing tourist crowd.

The framework is very close to shore. You can snorkel right from the beach. Guests staying at Taman Sari and Pondok Sari have some of the best access, but the bay itself is reasonably small and you can walk easily from spot to spot. January and February can bring choppy waters and poorer visibility, but even then you can enjoy good snorkeling in the morning hours.

There's a good profile of the project on the web here: http://www.globalcoral.org/Pemuteran%20Artificial%20Reef%20Project.htm.