Inside Shelby Thomas’ Mission to Restore and Protect Coral Reefs

In honor of Women’s History Month coming to a close, it is only right to highlight the life and work of the founder and creative mind behind the Ocean Rescue Alliance International (ORAI). Shelby Thomas, Founder and CEO of ORAI, is a coral biologist, environmentalist, and marine conservationist who has an intrinsic passion for the restoration of the natural world. However, this infatuation is not a new development; it has followed her throughout her entire life. 

Early Years

Shelby Thomas, 28 years old, grew up in Daytona Beach. Her childhood was defined by her connection to the environment around her; growing up near the water, she spent hours searching for different creatures and exploring the sandy beaches of Florida. Shelby spent her early days surfing and diving in her local reefs. Her connection to nature did not stop with curiosity, though. Shelby began horseback riding at the age of four, and by the time she was in middle school, she was training horses and teaching riding lessons. She credits horseback riding with giving her the discipline and work ethic that fuels her passion for conservation today, as well as an appreciation for animals and their well-being. Shelby could not get enough of the natural world, even from a young age; in high school, she got her very first home aquarium. This further fueled her passion for sealife, and at one point, she maintained five aquarium tanks simultaneously. In her TEDxUF (University of Florida) talk, Shelby reminisces, “Although I had always been drawn to nature, what deeply intrigued me was the ocean. Its vastness and mystery, full of life and new things to be discovered.”

College Education

Determined to continue exploring the natural world, Shelby attended the University of Florida, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science & Microbiology (2017), Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Ecology (2018), and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, which she plans on defending in May of  2024. At first, Shelby’s studies focused on coral secondary metabolites to explore medical applications that could aid in cancer cures. But, after becoming involved in the university's scientific diving program, the course of her entire career changed. In July 2014, Shelby experienced “the most impactful dive of [her] life.” She watched as a 6-foot-wide, 100+-year-old star coral colony died in a matter of three days. After watching the once vibrant colony grow grey and lifeless, Shelby decided she must find a way to protect the world beneath the water. 

Conservation Work

After that 2014 dive, Shelby dove headfirst into coral, oyster, mangrove, seagrass, scallop, and sea urchin restoration projects. Her master's project focused on analyzing the health of and restoring the oyster reefs in Apalachicola Bay (2015-2018). In 2016, she attended the Planet Forward Summit in Washington, DC, to present her ideas to reverse global warming and offer sustainable solutions to address global issues. Her passion for protecting and restoring the environment eventually led her to the Beyond Coral Organization and ​​World Federation for Coral Reef Conservation, where she now sits on the board of directors for both organizations. 

Throughout her involvement in a vast range of restoration projects, Shelby found that many of these projects are funded through environmental disaster funds from large companies or political checkbox projects - many doing the minimal necessary to fulfill a legal requirement with little follow-up or result monitoring. Shelby believed that restoration should not only be a disaster response but a preemptive initiative to prevent ecosystem destruction and extinction. To change this, Shelby decided to alter the public perception of restoration projects. The goal was not just to make the public support a restoration initiative but to become connected to nature and feel a responsibility to care for the environment. The perfect medium of translation was clear to Shelby: art. 

The Start of ORAI

In 2018, Shelby met an artist who body-cast living people into Romanesque statues. After one of the artist’s commissions went south, he was left with a 10-foot-tall mermaid statue and nowhere to put it. The artist approached an artificial reef builder to explore the idea of making it into an artificial reef, and eventually, the questioning led the artist to an introduction with Shelby. This was the art that would serve as the basis for Shelby’s next restoration project: the 1000 Mermaid Artificial Reef Project. As Shelby’s restoration goals outgrew the 1000 Mermaids Project, the initiative was expanded into the creation of her nonprofit, the Ocean Rescue Alliance International - the work she is most proud of today. The 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef Project still exists as one of the core projects under ORAI; the initiative takes 3D scans or casts of real people as mermaids and creates artificial reefs that incorporate the sculptures, with the goal of putting 1000 mermaids into the ocean as an eco-art attraction. These reefs help support the natural ecosystem, expand fish habitats, and create an enjoyable underwater destination for tourists that enhances the economic and educational draw of each location. The project has been a huge success, with 180 structures and counting in the water. 

ORAI’s Present and Future 

Currently, Shelby is developing four new artificial reef lines in the city of Hollywood, FL - including a Greek God themed and sealife themed reef. These reefs have the added benefit of reducing wave energy, therefore slowing the pace of coastal erosion. The coral needed for these projects is being grown through sexual reproduction as well as asexual propagation in coral labs in South Florida, thus combining the advantages of breeding for biodiversity with those of quick fragmentation. One of the major goals of ORAI is to create a new coral nursery, museum, and education center which will be called the Reef Discover Center. At this center, we will be able to produce 50,000 coral fragments per year for outplanting on our structures while also engaging in educational events with children, schools, and the general public. Stay tuned to future announcements from ORAI to learn more about this initiative from Shelby.

In the future, ORAI will develop more protective reeflines and embark on the Mayan Reef Project. Shelby and her team will work with a Mayan community to build a mile-long artificial reef shaped like a serpent that will act as a nearshore breakwater to protect against coastal erosion. The reef will also be a coral nursery to restore nearby reefs and promote ecotourism. The artistic influence is prominent in this project; it will represent the local culture and history of the Mayans and provide a new way for tourists to interact with and learn about Mayan history. 

Shelby has reinvented the narrative when it comes to restoration projects and will continue to make waves in honor of the protection of marine life. She will continue to advocate for the power of art as a fuel to fight against the effects of climate change. You, too, can join the fight by donating to ORAI and its Eco-Art, Ecotourism, and restoration projects.