Global climate history has been receiving great attention worldwide, and geochemical climate studies using corals cores extracted by underwater drilling have been widely conducted. We report here that it is feasible to extract a coral core, 80 mm in diameter and at least 0.9 m in length, by using a customized pneumatic drill and a gasoline- powered air compressor. With our innovative drill, we achieved four objectives which will significantly contribute to the convenience and reliability of coral core sampling in the field: (1) less cost (2) more portability (3) easier and faster drilling operations (4) collection of an intact coral core. The key to replacing the common and current underwater drilling method was installing an air motor instead of using a regular hand- held pneumatic drill. In addition, we attached a pneumatic water pump which provided a continuous water flow to clean the diamond drill bit. We expect this drill to be used extensively by climate researchers and others interested in retrieving high-quality coral core samples with the most cost-efficient method and least labor-intensive technique. This technology could, in fact, revolutionize underwater drilling methodology by providing researchers an economical and ecologically-safer option over the more cumbersome and expensive hydraulic drill.