We are excited to welcome our Fall 2024 Marine Education & Conservation Interns to REEF! They will assist with education, outreach, events, and daily operations around the REEF Campus in Key Largo, Florida. Marine Conservation Interns play an integral role in our daily operations, programs, events, and outreach. Since 1993, more than 150 young adults have interned with REEF and transitioned into careers all over the world, in the marine conservation field and beyond. Please join us in welcoming (from L-R) Natalee, Coryn, Kuba, and John! Here's a bit more about them:
Our October Fish of the Month is the Bat Ray, Myliobatis californica!
Survey Regions: Bat Rays are found throughout the waters of California, as well as north to Oregon and south to the Baja peninsula in Mexico. They have been reported in REEF's PAC (Pacific Coast of US and Canada) survey region. Click here to see a distribution for this species in the REEF database.
We are very excited to welcome two new staff to the REEF Team - Noa Parks as Citizen Science Coordinator (left) and Shelby Thomas as Education Coordinator! Both are based at the REEF Campus in Key Largo, Florida.
This summer, we've been making waves in the Florida Keys and beyond, with plenty of engaging education programs and outreach events. Our team of staff and interns led 39 educational programs this summer. From teaching weekly fish ID classes at John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo to programs for schools, clubs, dive shops, and more, it has been a jam-packed and fun season. Our summer Ocean Explorers Education Programs offered participants the chance to dive into citizen science with snorkeling and diving excursions, fish ID classes, and even lionfish jewelry making.
Our annual REEF Fest celebration is coming up on October 17-20 in Key Largo, Florida. If you haven't registered yet, there's still time to plan to join us for free, educational ocean seminars, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, nature tours, and socials! You can see all the details and register online at www.REEF.org/REEFfest. This year we're excited to welcome the following speakers:
Last month, 14 teams of scuba divers took to the water and collected 1,527 invasive lionfish during the 15th annual REEF Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival. Teams fished from sunrise to sunset on Friday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 17. On Saturday evening, derby participants and the public gathered at Florida Keys Brewing Company for Invaders on Tap, a lionfish awareness celebration and social with live music, educational activities and games, and lionfish tastings. The weekend concluded on Sunday, Aug.
Submissions for the 2024 REEF Discover the Sea Underwater Photography Contest are now open! All ocean photographers are invited to submit their favorite photos. It’s free to enter, and you may submit up to three photos per person in each of the following categories:
Looking for a fun getaway? Join us on a REEF Field Survey Trip to Villa on Dunbar Rock, in Guanaja, Honduras on March 22-29, 2025! Part of a volcanic and coral mountain range, Guanaja is within the world's second-largest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Just steps from the sandy beach, the rocks, and flats surrounding the island, this location is perfect for those who love shore diving and searching for all of the unique fish species that inhabit the shallows.
Our online programs are free and open to all! Check out what's coming up, and view the entire schedule of Fishinars (marine life ID webinars) and other online programs here.
Our September Fish of the Month is the Yellowtail Surgeonfish, Prionurus punctatus!
Survey Regions: Yellowtail Surgeonfish are common in the Gulf of California, and occasionally seen throughout the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, as well as the Revillagigedo Islands. Click here to see a distribution for this species in the REEF database.