The Conservation Challenge is a fun way to get involved in marine conservation and earn stickers for completing different challenges. This month, we're highlighting the Give BIG for the Oceans challenge. To complete this challenge and earn the sticker, mark your calendar and plan to donate to support REEF during our annual Give BIG for the Oceans celebration on April 29. The best part? Contributions made during Give BIG for the Oceans are matched! Donations of any amount qualify to receive this sticker. Keep an eye on your inbox for Give BIG reminders throughout the month of April.
REEF's online programs are free and open to everyone! Here's what is coming up in the next several weeks:
This Great Annual Fish Count, join Pirate's Cove Watersports for a free fish ID class, followed by a REEF survey dive/snorkel.
Morning check-in for class at 9:45am, break for lunch at 11am, and check-in for the survey dive/snorkel at Pirate's Cove Watersports at 1pm.
The price is $65 for a snorkel trip, and $95 for a two-tank dive trip.
Located in Reefhouse Resort & Marina, 103800 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
This Great Annual Fish Count, join REEF and Key Dives for a free fish ID class, followed by two REEF survey dives.
Morning check-in for class at REEF Interpretive Center at 9:15am, break for lunch at 11am, and check-in for the survey dives at Key Dives at 12:30pm.
Locations
REEF Interpretive Center: 98300 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Key Dives: 79851 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036
Complete this Dive Waiver no more than 30 days prior to the trip:
Join the South Carolina Aquarium for their inaugural JuLionfish Derby + Festival, a month-long culling competition for divers followed by an all-inclusive, 21+ festival at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, SC! Proceeds benefit South Carolina Aquarium Reef Research, a program aimed at generating awareness and supporting fieldwork opportunities to sustain a balanced ocean. JuLionfish is a REEF-sanctioned event.
Details and Registration: https://scaquarium.org/JuLionfish.
This Great Annual Fish Count, join Friends of Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, WA, for a free invertebrate ID class + quiz, followed by a REEF survey dive.
Morning check-in for class and quiz at 11am, break, and meet for survey dives at 4:30pm.
25205 8th Pl S, Des Moines, WA 98198
This Great Annual Fish Count, join Rocio Bunker of Ocean Enterprises in San Diego, California, for a free fish and invertebrate identification class!
Check-in for class is at 5pm.
7710 Balboa Avenue Ste 202, San Diego CA 92111
This Great Annual Fish Count, join Friends of Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, WA, for a free fish ID class + certification quiz, followed by a REEF survey dive.
Morning check-in for class and quiz at 11am, break, and meet for survey dives at 3:15pm.
Welcome to Citizen Science Corner, our quarterly feature to acknowledge those who recently reached a milestone in our Volunteer Fish Survey Project. We are celebrating those who moved up an Experience Level in January, February or March 2022.
Experience Level Advancements
Dive the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary with Fling Charters on a custom 5-day trip. This trip includes 3-5 dives daily on the sanctuary's pristine reefs and banks. We'll also get to visit at least one Oil Rig. During this time of year, you'll have the chance to see megafauna like Manta Rays and Whale Sharks, and the banks often have over 100ft of visibility. As a special treat - our dates line up with the annual spawning of the Madracis finger coral.