We are pleased to announce the 2012 REEF Field Survey trip schedule. We have an exciting lineup of destinations planned and we hope you will join us. These trips offer a great introduction to fish identification for novice fishwatchers, and are a fun way for experienced surveyors to build their life list while interacting with fellow fishwatchers. REEF staff, board members, and other REEF instructors lead these trips, and each features daily classroom seminars and a full diving schedule. 2012 destinations include: Nevis, San Blas Islands in Panama, Dominica, Sea of Cortez, Hornby Island in British Columbia, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, and Cozumel. Dates and details are given below.

To find out more about any of these trips or to book your space, contact our travel consultants at Caradonna at 1-877-295-7333 (REEF), or via e-mail REEF@caradonna.com. Prices listed below are double occupancy; single occupancy are available on some trips. An additional REEF Fee ($200-$300) is added to each package to cover survey materials, seminars, and the trip leader. Airfare is not included in any of the REEF packages. However, Caradonna is happy to price airfare from your preferred departure airport. Please call for quotes.

The schedule and additional information will be posted on the Field Survey Trips page - http://www.reef.org/trips

REEF 2012 Field Survey Trip Schedule
April 21-28, 2012 - Nevis - Oualie Beach Resort. Led by Christy Semmens, REEF Director of Science. Flying in/out of St. Kitts. $1,558 per person, double occupancy, includes all meals, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, and r/t boat transfer from St. Kitts to Nevis. This will be our first Field Survey to Nevis, an area with very little REEF data. It is also an ideal destination for non-diving companions.

June 9-16, 2012 - San Blas Islands, Panama - Coral Lodge (rescheduled from January), led by Paul Humann, REEF Co-Founder and Renowned Underwater Photographer and Author. Flying in/out of Panama City. $2,417 per person, double occupancy, includes 7 nights accommodation in an over-the-water bungalow, all meals, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, and r/t airport transfers. Limited to 12 divers.

June 16-23, 201 - San Blas Islands, Panama - Coral Lodge (second week added), led by Paul Humann, REEF Co-Founder and Renowned Underwater Photographer and Author. Flying in/out of Panama City. $2,417 per person, double occupancy, includes 7 nights accommodation in an over-the-water bungalow, all meals, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, and r/t airport transfers. Limited to 12 divers. Join Paul on one or both weeks of this unique trip for a week in remote islands that are home to the Kuna Indians, beautiful coral reefs, and a great diversity of fishes.

July 14-21, 2012 - Lionfish workshop in Dominica - Dive Dominica and Anchorage Hotel, led by Lad Akins, REEF Director of Special Projects. Team members will conduct surveys and dissect lionfish for research being conducted by REEF and local and international partners. **trip information and cost are still being finalized, details will be posted to the REEF website shortly. Lionfish are just starting to arrive in Dominica and data are needed to establish baselines and determine impacts.

July 29 - August 4, 2012 - San Salvador, Bahamas - Riding Rock Inn and Marina, led by Paul Humann, REEF Co-Founder and Renowned Underwater Photographer and Author. $1,462 per person, double occupancy, includes lodging, all meals, 5 days of 3-tank boat dives plus one night dive, and an island tour of this historic location. This beautiful destination is perfect for beginner fishwatchers as well as REEF experts.

September 22-29, 2012 -  Northern Sea of Cortez - Rocio del Mar liveaboard, led by Drs. Brice and Christy Semmens, REEF Scientific Advisors and researchers. Flying in/out of Phoenix, AZ. $2,295 per person, double occupancy, includes on-board accommodations, all meals, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, and up to 5 dives per day for 5 days. R/T airport transfers by group van is arranged separately. Brice and Christy are returning to Baja Mexico after a wonderful trip aboard the Rocio del Mar in 2010. In addition to great diving, we will be treated to amazing topside scenery, whales and dolphins breaching around us while in transit, and a topnotch crew.

September 26-30, 2012 - Hornby Island, British Columbia - Hornby Island Diving, led by Janna Nichols, REEF Outreach Coordinator.**trip information and cost are still being finalized, details will be posted to the REEF website shortly. Janna will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about Pacific Northwest fishes and invertebrates at this premier cold-water diving destination.

October 20-27, 2012 - Bermuda - Triangle Diving and Grotto Bay Hotel, led by Ned and Anna DeLoach, REEF Board Members and World-Famous Marine Life Authors and Photographer/Videographers. **trip information and cost are still being finalized, details will be posted to the REEF website shortly. Ned and Anna will cover fish identification and behavior, and the group will learn more about the local black grouper spawning aggregation and the Sargasso Sea.

November 10-17, 2012 - British Virgin Islands - Cuan Law liveaboard, led by Heather George, REEF Expert Instructor. Flying in/out of Tortola. $2,200 per person, double occupancy, includes six nights of accommodations, all meals and non-alcoholic drinks, unlimited use of kayaks and other water toys, and five days of diving. The Cuan Law is a unique 105ft long, 50ft wide tri-maran that offers a wonderful itinerary of diving through the BVI.

December 1-8, 2012 - Cozumel - Aqua Safari.**trip information and cost are still being finalized, details will be posted to the REEF website shortly. This annual REEF Trip is always a favorite.

• A great last minute opportunity to join renowned photographer and REEF co-founder, Paul Humann, for a week of fish watching and learning. Two spaces (one cabana) just opened up on each week of his upcoming trip to the San Blas Islands in the Caribbean Sea off Panama, June 9-16 and June 16-23, 2012. You will stay in one of these beautiful over-water bungalows. Grab a space before it's too late. Email or call our friends at Caradonna today. 1-877-295-7333 (REEF), REEF@caradonna.com. There are also a few spaces left on the following REEF Trips - Dominica Lionfish trip with Lad Akins (July 14-21), San Salvador Bahamas with Paul Humann (July 28-Aug 4), Sea of Cortez with Christy and Brice Semmens (Sept 22-29), Bermuda with Ned and Anna DeLoach (Oct 6-13), British Virgin Islands with Heather George (Nov 11-17). Visit the REEF Trips page to find out more. 
• Check out the online REEF Store -- we recently added new underwater guide books for the Pacific coast and new wearable REEF gear. 
• Don't miss the upcoming Fishinars! Ned DeLoach will discuss all you want to know about the sex life of fish May 9th. Other upcoming sessions include Fish ID for California, the Northeast US, West Coast Sculpins, and Caribbean Wrasse. These free sessions are great fishy-fun from the comfort of your own home. No specialized software needed, just an internet connection. 
• Want to stay updated with all the latest news, pictures, and updates from REEF and our friends? Then become a fan of our REEF Facebook Page. Even if you are not on Facebook, anyone can view the page.

Thanks to a grant from The Russell Family Foundation, we are in the middle of a year-long initiative to actively engage new REEF surveyors in the region and to provide incentive to our existing surveyors to stay active and move up through the ranks of the REEF Experience Level system.  We have teamed up with PNW REEF instructor, Janna Nichols, to coordinate a series of free training workshops throughout Washington and Oregon. These seminars will cover the Introductory REEF Fish Identification training, the REEF Pacific Northwest Invertebrate Identification training, and a NEW Advanced Fish Identification training program. Visit the Pacific Northwest Critter Watchers Webpage to see a complete list of classes.  The project will also support a series of REEF survey day trips on area dive charters that will be open free of charge to current REEF surveyors who are actively conducting surveys and interested in advancing their REEF experience level. Ten active REEF surveyors recently participated in the first such opportunity - survey dives at two new REEF sites in the San Juan Islands, Washington earlier this month.  In addition to conducting REEF surveys. The great news is that everyone on the trip who was eligible to move up one experience level did so! A big congratulations goes to Pete Naylor and Mary Jo Adamas, REEF's newest Pacific Advanced Assessment Team Level 5 members, and the rest of the gang who successfully passed the Level 2 or Level 3 exam.

We greatly appreciate the funding support of The Russell Family Foundation. This project will enable REEF to actively engage divers in marine conservation through support and enhancement of the REEF Volunteer Survey Project in the Pacific Northwest. Traditionally, divers and snorkelers have not received much more than a cursory introduction to underwater ecology or marine life identification. Even after years of experience in the water, most divers are able to identify only a handful of the marine life they see during their dives. REEF introduces marine enthusiasts to the incredible diversity of fishes and other wildlife found in local waters as well as the identification resources and survey methods needed to document these species. Active REEF surveyors advance through five experience levels (Novice: 1-3 and Expert: 4-5), based on the number of surveys completed and passing scores on comprehensive identification exams. While 536 volunteers have conducted surveys in the Pacific Northwest as part of the REEF Fish Survey Project, there are currently only twenty-eight members rated as Expert surveyors.  However, expert level volunteers have conducted approximately one-third of all surveys submitted to date. It is clear that as volunteers improve their skills, they are more likely to stay actively involved in data collection.

REEF is pleased to welcome Stephanie Roach from Camp Hill, PA as the 2008 REEF Summer Intern and Great Annual Fish Count Coordinator (GAFC). Her internship is supported by the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society.  The REEF internship program provides college age juniors, seniors and graduate students the opportunity to experience working at a nonprofit environmental organization. REEF interns assist REEF staff with education, outreach and a multitude of programming. Many REEF interns move on to successful careers in conservation and the marine environment, including natural resource agencies, academics and conservation non-profits (including REEF). In fact, REEF Director of Science, Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D., is a former REEF intern.  

The Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society is a nonprofit, educational organization whose mission is to promote educational activities associated with the underwater world. For over 35 years, they have fostered the development of future leaders of the marine environment through their scholarship and internship programs.

Stephanie graduated this May from Denison University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology as well as Studio Art. She attended the Skidmore College Summer Six Art Program and the School for Field Studies in the Turks and Caicos where she experienced open water research.  By the end of her time in the British West Indies she said, "I realized I wanted to work toward a better understanding of the world's oceans and eco-systems."

As this year's summer intern, Stephanie will act as the primary GAFC coordinator for REEF, along with assisting staff with various activities and preparing and presenting REEF talks and fish ID classes to the Florida Keys community. She will also have an opportunity to present and implement a project which aligns with her interests in combination with REEF needs and activities. She begins her internship June 2 and you can greet her with a happy hello by sending an email to gafc@reef.org or call 305-852-0030 ext. 1#.

If you would like to support future REEF internships, please send your tax-deductible donations to REEF, P.O. Box 246, Key Largo, FL 33037 or click here and make a secure donation online today. For more information, please call 305-852-0030 or email reefhq@reef.org.