With stunning mountainous desert landscapes topside and fascinating rocky reefs and pinnacles underwater, the northern Sea of Cortez is a favorite destination for REEF surveyors. The unique marine life, including nudibranchs, rays, eels, octopuses, blennies, jawfish, and even sea lions, make it easy to understand why Jacques Costeau nicknamed this region, "the world's aquarium." In addition to numerous fish and invertebrate families, attendees may also see pilot and sperm whales while in transit and have the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks.
Located on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman is one of SCUBA diving's best kept secrets. The country has a subtropical desert climate with mild warm winters and hot summers, with a landscape that includes pristine reefs, deserts, mountains, green oases, and beautiful beaches. This will be REEF's second Field Survey to the new Indian Ocean and Red Sea region, and our first-ever trip to Oman.
REEF is excited to have rescheduled our British Virgin Islands Field Survey after postponing this trip in 2017. Join us in the BVI for a stellar Caribbean diving experience aboard the Cuan Law, the largest trimaran in the world! The British Virgin Islands have more than 100 spectacular dive sites to explore, including coral gardens, pinnacles, and wrecks teeming with fish. Blackbar soliderfish, glassy sweepers and eagle rays await divers in the clear, calm waters surrounding the Islands.
South Water Caye Marine Reserve, in southern Belize, is a unique mangrove/coral reef habitat and home to several endemic species including the Social Wrasse and the Maya Hamlet. The goal of this trip is to study the effects of stressors such as invasive lionfish and habitat loss on this remote area of the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, with a special focus on how these impacts are affecting species that are not found anywhere else in the Caribbean. Participants will work with local partners to conduct fish surveys as well as lionfish research and removals.
Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen), a marine park located on the southeastern portion of Cuba, is known as one of the best-preserved marine areas in the Caribbean, offering a high amount of diversity and fish biomass. A variety of marine habitats including patch reefs, seagrass, and mangroves surround the islands, providing important nursery areas for many juvenile fish species. Large fish such as snapper, grouper and sharks are a frequent sighting for divers in this area, and the barrier reefs have a fantastic abundance of hard and soft coral and sponges.
Discovered in 1503, Brazil's Fernando de Noronha archipelago is known as a great destination for ecotourism and diving. The islands are located about 200 miles from the mainland and the entire area makes up a protected marine park. Ocean currents from East Africa flow past the islands, creating excellent dive conditions year round, making this a perfect destination for REEF surveyors who enjoy warm, clear water. Unique underwater structures including rock formations and reefs attract many diverse species of fish and other marine life.
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project by becoming a citizen scientist with REEF! In 1993, REEF began collecting data on the abundance of marine fish populations. Since then, this project has grown to make up the world's largest marine life sightings database and includes more than 200,000 surveys conducted by volunteer divers and snorkelers. Key Largo, where REEF Headquarters is based, is nicknamed the "dive capital of the world" and was also home to the very first REEF Field Survey Trip.
Explore the islands the Northeastern Caribbean aboard the Caribbean Explorer II, one of the only liveboard dive boats that visits this area year-round. Participants will begin the trip in St. Kitts and end the week in St. Maarten, allowing us to visit a variety of sites throughout the week. This special REEF itinerary will feature diving around Montserrat, which is known for being home to an active volcano. Less than 50 REEF surveys have conducted in the area surrounding Montserrat, and participants will have an opportunity to contribute much-needed data to REEF's online database.