Katelyn Hegarty-Kelly is a Marine Biologist from county Kildare who has been living and working in the Maldives for the past three years where she restores coral reefs. Here, she shares what life on the island looks like for her.
Tell us about yourself and your background.
My name is Katelyn, I am 26 years old and I grew up in County Kildare. I spent my first 18 years out in the countryside but as my older siblings started to leave the nest we downsized and moved into the local town, Kilcullen. I was taken in and adopted by my loving parents at just three days old which has been a special story to me as I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
Did you always want to become a Marine Biologist?
Just like many other kids my aspirations changed a lot from a doctor to forensic science. When I was around 14 years old I began to fall in love with the ocean more, specifically coral reefs. I have always loved being in the water and I was lucky enough to experience many different water activities and educational moments. My first scuba dive was in Denmark when I was around 11 years old and I fell in love with both the scuba diving and all the marine life I could see through scuba diving.
Tell us about your job.
I am the managing marine biologist at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa leading the coral restoration project for Reefscapers. Reefscapers is a Maldivian consultancy company working to restore coral reefs around the Maldives, I am doing this specifically around the Sheraton Resort island. The job is a mixture of both in-water work and on-land.
We’re in the water around 4-5 hours a day depending on our schedule which is done through either snorkelling, free diving or scuba diving. Reefscapers have been growing the coral gardens here for over five years and this coral needs daily maintenance. It’s like having a plant, you can’t just leave it, it needs care (but coral is not a plant, it’s an animal, fyi!). We make sure the corals are healthy, we remove any predators and algae which may impact the coral growth. Additionally we carry out ‘monitoring’ which is pictures of our coral every six months to monitor the growth and to share with our sponsors.
We carry out a programme called ‘Adopt a Coral’ where anyone around the world or our in-house guests can adopt their own coral frame, they get to build the frame with a resident marine biologist and plant their coral in the garden. With this, they get hands-on experience in restoring the coral reefs, a one-on-one talk with the marine biologist, a certificate of adoption and pictures of their coral frame every six months for roughly five years. Our team also assists with snorkel safaris where we guide guests along a nearby coral reef and educate them on marine life.
On land, we carry out four educational marine talks a week where guests can join us for around 30 minutes and learn all about the local marine life. We host many different activities throughout the week and we assist on Sunset Dolphin Cruise. We’re also constantly collecting new data so there is always a lot to do.
How did the opportunity for you to work in the Maldives come up?
I’ve always wanted to work with coral reefs but I was unsure where exactly that passion was going to lead me. Coral restoration was an area I really wanted to get into however it is very competitive to get into. I found Reefscapers in Maldives who do just this and I loved seeing all the work they do. I specifically love the aspect of doing the in-water coral restoration but also the education side of it where we get to educate our guests and inspire people to be part of the change needed for our oceans. I was lucky enough to get a 6 month internship with Reefscapers which led to a full time position and I’m here nearly three years now.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Witnessing the positive change right in front of you. I have been expanding our coral garden for the last three years and seeing the growth and positive impact that it has had from 2023 to 2026 is incredible. People can sometimes be skeptical of the Adopt a Coral wondering if it actually works and the six month monitoring photos are a great way to share the commitment they have made to the ocean while showing the coral growth over time.
Another rewarding part I have to say is inspiring the next generation. The feeling never wears away of a kid wanting to talk to our team, learn all about the ocean and say they also want to be a marine biologist. It reminds me of the strong impact we can still have through the power of education and that there is still hope.
When you’re away, what do you miss most about Ireland?
I miss my family, boyfriend and friends so much! I come from quite a large family of five brothers and two sisters. I really miss out on the milestones, celebrations and early years of my nieces and nephews which is hard but we FaceTime all the time. Another one is Christmas, I think it hits me most at this time of year being away from loved ones but I always try to enjoy and embrace a tropical style Christmas. It’s a little different seeing Santa appear on a jetski! Thankfully my parents are great for posting out my favourite snacks to me so I never miss them too much.
Do you have plans to move back home and use your skills on Irish shores?
I would love to. For now I’m enjoying the opportunity to work in a tropical climate but when I’m ready to settle down more in the future I 100% will return to Ireland and see what work or research I can get involved in. I studied microplastics during my undergrad thesis work and was a microplastic research assistant the summer after I finished college. This was something I really enjoyed and would love to get back into if I had the opportunity to do so.
