The trail opened in April and features 12 specially designed 3D printed concrete domes which house fish, seaweed and other sea creatures.

Located just 30 metres from the popular foreshore Ozone Hotel, the reef will help attract marine life, long-term monitoring measures and restore the island’s (Ostrea angasi) shellfish reefs.

The native oyster reef, monitored by citizen scientists as part of Passport to Recovery’s (P2R) new project Reef Rewind, is the first of its kind in Australia.

Some of the 12 specially designed 3D printed concrete domes that make up the new reef. Photo: supplied

Flinders University P2R project manager and marine biologist Dr Cassie Hoepner said the project aimed to bring conservation to the people with small-scale structures made accessible to KI locals and tourists.

She described the reef as being anywhere from a metre to three and a half metres in depth, depending on tides.

“[It’s] easy for young families to snorkel and see what’s happening from a shallow area,” Hoepner said.

Snorkelers are encouraged to record what they see along the trail and upload their observations to the Reef Rewind app.

Hoepner said tourism impacts largely upon small communities like KI.

“From the moment they arrive on the island we’re wanting to instil good environmental behaviours, notions of giving back to the places you travel to, as well as just a new innovative way of learning about the local environment and, perhaps, prevalent conservation issues,” she said.

Flinders University marine ecologist Dr Ryan Baring said South Australia had lost most of its shellfish reefs due to “overfishing, dredging and costal changes”.

Reef Rewind aims to restore the KI’s once prevalent Ostreas oysters which were almost entirely lost around Australia in the 1800s.

Large-scale reefs are expensive, according to Dr Hoepner, so P2R went with a modified design which utilises Melbourne-based Reef Design Lab’s concrete units.

“Essentially, this reef cost about $75,000 while larger scale reefs can cost up to half a million dollars depending on size,” she said.

SeaLink Marine & Tourism general manager for South Australia Tracy Croft said eco-based efforts to restore and maintain the diversity of KI’s flora and wildlife are crucial.

“Programs including citizen science provide an excellent opportunity to connect with and make a meaningful contribution to this beautiful destination,” Croft said.

The free Kingscote restoration reef and snorkel trail is open year-round, except in rough weather.