Our Story

How I.CARE got its start

Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education — turning a diver's passion into reef recovery.

Co-founders Dr. Kylie Smith and Michael Goldberg first met in the summer of 2017.

Kylie reached out to Key Dives to be the support shop for her graduate research.

Between tank fills, she and Mike would trade observations about the reef — conversations that moved from the dive shop to the local beer garden, where the idea for I.CARE was born in December 2018.

By January 2021, I.CARE had transplanted its first corals to Alligator Reef, combining science and best practices with the passion only recreational divers bring.

Steering Committee

Krissy Carnahan

Sarah Davis-Arnold

Andrew Mitchell

Dr. Kylie Smith

Michael Goldberg

Adm. Kurt Tidd

Shelly Laughlin

Underwater view of a sandy ocean floor with multiple raised clam shells scattered across the sand.
Underwater scene showing various coral formations, including brain coral, on a reef with diverse marine life.