The Foundation is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States, but uses data from volunteer scuba diver teams in over 80 countries, ranging from Australia, Japan, to even Germany.

[6] The report used data collected by thousands of volunteers worldwide, and was the first scientific document detailing the decline in coral reef health over a five-year period.

Caribbean reefs, however, are losing about 3% living coral every four years due to a combination of human impacts.

Reef Check endeavors to create partnerships among communities, government agencies, businesses, universities and other non-profits.

The survey is sub-divided to allow paired divers to separately observe substrate, photograph macroinvertebrates and impacts, record video, and count fishes.