After earning her Master of Science in Marine Biology from Oxford University, Julia Mellers joined the Wakatobi team in 2024. The addition of a marine biologist has brought excitement to guests, resort staff, and community partners. As of today, Mellers has already introduced innovative reef health assessment programs at Wakatobi’s private marine reserve using AI-assisted imaging and data analysis. This analytical process enables the Wakatobi team to closely monitor invaluable data derived from our beloved reefs. Mellers’ work is strengthened by the long-standing partnerships with local villages, who share our common goal of protecting the reefs. The community’s deep connection to the ocean is essential to the success of the program. Mellers’ ongoing work serves as a testament to why marine conservation is imperative – not only at Wakatobi but globally.
Wakatobi Dive Resort’s reef health surveys are conducted throughout the protected area, with some surveys enhanced by the addition of eDNA sampling and soundscape monitoring.
We recently caught up with Julia to get the latest word on this ongoing project and her impressions of Wakatobi in general.
Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your first year at Wakatobi, and what are you most looking forward to in the future?
A: “I feel a profound sense of calm when diving at Wakatobi. While many of the world’s reefs are now threatened or compromised, all is well within our marine preserve. We now have scientific data confirming that the future of these incredibly biodiverse reefs is secure, thanks to a preservation system that works. It has been incredibly rewarding to translate the joy of diving and exploring pristine reefs into data that meticulously captures biodiversity and verifies the positive effects of Wakatobi’s collaborative conservation initiatives.
We are now using data collected over the past year to invite external partners to participate in a reef preservation effort with documented impact. Wakatobi’s conservation effort is continually evolving and expanding, and I am looking forward to seeing how we can best accelerate this growth.”
Q: Have you noticed any changes in coral health, fish populations, or even the presence of invasive species?
A: “We are starting to see a clear signal of ecosystem protection in the reef health data. Assessments are made by reef scan photo surveys, which are then analyzed by an AI program trained to classify Wakatobi’s reef life. The results indicate that reefs inside the protected area are significantly healthier than neighboring, unprotected reefs. Our reef scans also verify that last year, while many reefs suffered from a catastrophic global bleaching event, there was no significant systematic bleaching at Wakatobi.
Integrating scientific monitoring and reef health assessment into the Wakatobi dive team’s schedule is made easy by the their vast experience and enthusiasm to contribute to the scientific effort.
Integrating scientific monitoring into the dive team’s schedule is made easy by their vast experience and enthusiasm to contribute to the scientific effort, Julia says. Photo by Kristian Gaeckle
Environmental DNA consists of tiny bits of genetic material that organisms leave behind, such as cells, skin, waste, and mucus. Reef water contains valuable information regarding nearby reef inhabitants, but this information has to be untangled. We’ve been filtering the reef water, trapping DNA on a filter, and then shipping the filter to a laboratory for analysis. In the lab, they use little pieces called primers to start sorting the DNA. The primers are like little tags for the DNA. They attach to a part of the sequence common to a particular kind of organism. For example, there are primers that attach to coral, that will target a particular section of DNA specific to different coral species. This is a fantastic new technique because it allows you to collect vast amounts of information non-invasively. It has been a particularly interesting project because coral primers are popping up in scientific literature only recently. We detected most rare corals only at the most biodiverse sites. It appears that we can utilize coral eDNA surveying as a direct indicator of reef health, which is a novel approach! That’s quite exciting!
This data has shed light on Wakatobi’s biodiversity, for instance, confirming the presence of 11 vulnerable coral species, among other rare critters.”
“It is a rare privilege to work in a place where people and marine life coexist,not just peacefully, but productively.”
Q: What other reef research initiatives are in the works or in the planning stage?
A: “We are now scaling up our research efforts to measure the pulse of the reef across a wider swath of the protected area throughout the year. This means integrating scientific monitoring into the dive team’s schedule, a task made easy by the team’s vast wealth of experience and their enthusiasm to contribute to the scientific effort. The dive team’s ongoing data harvest, with the help of AI analysis, enables us to keep an eye on the state of the whole reef ecosystem.
We are also adding new methods to our toolkit. We have recently deployed a sensor kit that relays live ocean weather information to an app. This enables us to monitor the metabolic pulse of the reef in real-time. We can watch throughout the day as sunlight determines the balance between photosynthesis and respiration on the reef, driving the large daily fluctuations in water chemistry. The large fluctuations that we observe at Wakatobi are a sign of a metabolically active reef, and therefore a signature of productive ecosystems.”
Q: What inspires you about working with the resort team?
A: “It is a rare privilege to work in a place where people and marine life coexist, not just peacefully, but productively. Working both above and below the water at Wakatobi, it is truly inspiring to witness how the systems directly support each other. Wakatobi is not a static system— it has a rich history of successful operations and continues to be at the forefront of innovation. Working in this dynamic environment means continually refining research measures already in place while always keeping an eye on the next step-change that will enhance value.”
Cornucopia is representative of the progress of reef health assessment and healthy coral growth on Wakatobi’s sites. Photo by Warren Baverstock
Q: Do you have a favorite dive site or type of marine life at Wakatobi?
A: “To me, one of the best things about frequently visiting the same dive sites is that you start to get to know animals with particular personalities. There is a particularly short-tempered octopus at The Zoo, often perched on a rock punching any fish that dares to come too close!
Without reef health assessment programs, turtles such as this Hawksbill at the site Dunia Baru, would not have healthy reefs to rely on. Photo by Christian Gloor
A scrawled filefish at Cornucopia, normally a shy species, is always happy to pose for a photo. A pair of porcupine fish perpetually chase each other around at Spiral Corner. A Hawksbill at Dunia Baru is always so intent on munching that she seems to barely notice any company!
The reef health assessment program at Wakatobi helps to ensure vibrant coral reef and populations of fish such as these Black snapper at the Waktaobi site Roma. Photo by Walt Stearns
I couldn’t pick a single favorite site – varying bio-geographies throughout Wakatobi’s reefs beget unique assemblages. Pinnacles and reef ridges are often referred to as ‘ecological magnets’, with their topography attracting predatory fish aggregations. Roma is one such site, where you can often spot dogtooth tuna through schools of black snapper, barracuda, and long-nose emperors. At Pockets, the reef slope extends deeper than elsewhere, giving rise to an astonishing diversity of hard coral species, which are only able to grow at depth because of Wakatobi’s clear water. Currents at Turkey Beach accelerate water over a series of ridges that attract black-tip reef sharks and eagle rays.”
“All is well at Wakatobi,” says marine biologist Julia Mellers. Photo by Wakatobi Resort
Wakatobi’s reef health assessment model could transform marine ecosystems far beyond Sulawesi, Indonesia. Please stand by for more on Wakatobi's continued reef protection initiatives.
Editor for Scuba Diver Magazine’s North America edition, Walt Stearns, has been involved in the diving industry for more than 30 years. As one of the most prolific photojournalists in diving media Walt’s articles and images have appeared in a wide range of national and international diving, water sports and travel titles.
