Our Mission in Cebu, Philippines

By Clarisa Strohmeyer, Founder | Updated 17 September 2026 | 7 min read

Reef Without Borders exists because of a dive that I took in 2019 in waters I had been diving since 2003. I hovered over a reef in Cebu that I remembered as one of the most alive places I had ever been underwater. What I found was different. The colors were gone. The coral formations I used to navigate by were broken. The fish were fewer. I had to check my compass to confirm I was in the same location.

That moment is why this organization exists. Not as a memory of what was lost, but as a refusal to accept that the loss has to continue.

Quick Answer: What Is Reef Without Borders?
Reef Without Borders is a Houston, Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds and documents coral reef restoration in Cebu, Philippines and across the Indo-Pacific. We intend to film our missions and report what we find to donors. We were incorporated in Texas on 18 May 2026, with field operations led by a PADI-certified Dive Instructor with 20 years of Philippine reef experience.

Why Cebu

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The Philippines sits at the center of the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse marine region on Earth, containing 76% of all known coral species. Cebu Province is surrounded by some of the most ecologically significant reef systems in the archipelago. Moalboal is known for its sardine run and wall diving. Malapascua is the only place in the world where thresher sharks can be reliably seen at a cleaning station. Olango Island is home to a marine sanctuary that supports thousands of migratory birds and a diverse shallow reef.

We operate in Cebu because this is where our founder has dived for 25 years, where our Director of Dive Operations Dindo Paquibot was born and has worked his entire career.

Our Programs

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Explore our first restoration site in Cebu →

• Reef Rescue Dives Funded, science-partnered coral restoration dives. Every dive filmed from entry to coral planting and published publicly.
• Adopt-A-Coral Donors sponsor a coral fragment for $100 for our first restoration mission.

Our Founding Team

Clarisa Strohmeyer, Founder and Executive Director, has 25 years of scuba diving experience in Philippine waters and 15 years of organizational leadership. Before founding Reef Without Borders, she served as Operations Director at International Business Times managing teams across six countries.

Our founding board includes Vanessa L. Iway, J.D., a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila School of Law serving as President and Legal Counsel; Rosalinda Maddoux, CPA, a licensed accountant with 17 years of compliance expertise serving as Treasurer; and Renato B. Solis, a management consultant with 30 years of organizational experience in Cebu, serving as Secretary.

Dindo C. Paquibot serves as Director of Dive Operations in the Philippines. A PADI Instructor since 2007 with 20 years of professional experience diving Philippine reefs, he also spent a year on coral nursery and transplantation work in 2019 with a conservation nonprofit that has since dissolved.

Our Commitment to Transparency

Most reef organisations publish an annual report once a year. We intend to report after every mission instead, and to publish what we find whether or not it reflects well on us. We display our EIN and our organisational documents on our Impact and Transparency page because we believe accountability is not a reporting requirement. It is a way of operating.

May 18, 2026Incorporated in Texas
EIN42-2691547
501(c)(3)Determination received 5 June 2026, effective retroactively to 22 May 2026

Where is Reef Without Borders based?

Reef Without Borders is incorporated and headquartered in Houston, Texas, with field operations in Cebu, Philippines.

Is Reef Without Borders a 501(c)(3)?

Yes. Reef Without Borders received its federal 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS on 5 June 2026, effective retroactively to 22 May 2026, and is classified as a public charity. Our EIN is 42-2691547. We are incorporated as a domestic nonprofit corporation in the State of Texas.

How can I contact Reef Without Borders?

Email info@reefwithoutborders.org. We are a small team and we read every message.

Reef Without Borders is funding its first coral restoration mission at Kontiki, Mactan, Cebu in Q4 2026. Every contribution brings that mission closer to the water.
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Sources and further reading

1. Coral restoration: a systematic review of current methods, successes, failures and future directions — Boström-Einarsson et al., PLOS ONE, 2020.
2. Coral Reef Restoration Monitoring Guide — NOAA NCCOS, 2020.
3. Nonprofit Explorer — ProPublica.

Clarisa Strohmeyer is the Founder and Executive Director of Reef Without Borders, a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to coral reef restoration in the Philippines and across the Indo-Pacific. Learn more at reefwithoutborders.org/