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- Importance of Guam's reefs
- Health of Guam's reefs
- - Health intro
- - Reef health tour
- - - - Northern reefs
- - - - East-central and southeastern reefs
- - - - Apra Harbor reefs
- - - -Southwestern reefs
- - - - Western reefs
- Threats to Guam's reefs
- - Algae overgrowth
- - Anchor damage
- - Coral bleaching
- - Crown of thorns outbreaks
- - Debris
- - Disease
- - Divers/snorkelers/ swimmers
- - Illegal fishing
- - Kayaks and other human-powered watercraft
- - Ocean acidification
- - Overharvesting
- - Sedimentation
- - Sewage discharge
- - Stormwater runoff
- - Terpios sponge
- - Vessel groundings
- - Windsurf boards and kiteboards
- Current management
- Recommendations
- Get involved

Just about any activity carried out in the coral reef environment has the potential to injure coral reefs if care is not taken to avoid such injury. Windsurfing and kiteboarding are sports that, when carried out properly by experienced users, have little or no impact. When operated carefully and responsibly, the windsurfboards and kiteboards glide across the surface of the water, avoiding contact with coral or other benthic organisms. As one might imagine, avoiding contact with the reef is not only good for the coral, it's also good for the windsurfer or kiteboarder as well! Windsurfboards and kiteboards are not cheap, nor is a visit to the emergency room. While a few fish may be startled by the board passing overhead, it is unlikely to significantly disrupt their natural behaviors. However, when windsurfboards and kiteboards are operated in areas with abundant, shallow coral and the operator isn't yet very experienced, there is a great potential to impact coral reef resources. For example, beginning windsurf users have been observed grounding their boards on the reef near Ypao Beach in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve, while kiteboarders have occasionally been observed running aground at several sites around the island, including on top of fragile staghorn coral thickets in East Agana and Tumon Bays. Grounding these boards on coral can have significant impacts, such as breaking or scraping coral colonies. In addition to the act of grounding itself, more damage is inevitable as the operator climbs or falls off the board and attempts to untangle the equipment from the reef.

More information about the potential threats of windsurfing and kiteboarding will be provided in the near future.