Join REEF's fourth annual Lionfish Research Project to Curacao to document the establishment and consequences of invasive lionfish as part of REEF's ongoing effort to minimize the Indo-Pacific predator's impact on native fish populations. Participants will have an opportunity to be trained in lionfish collection and dissections of specimens to document prey.

Cost per person: $1,917 for double occupancy in a garden view room

Special Promotion (*see terms and conditions below)

Never been on a REEF Field Survey Trip? Sign up now for the Curacao 2016 Lionfish Trip and get $200 off the package price!

Interested in joining in the 2016 Trip, but have been on a REEF Trip before? Refer a new participant and get $100 off your Curacao 2016 trip! Limit two referrals per person. 

What is included: Your package includes 7 nights of accommodation at the Kura Hulanda Lodge & Beach Club, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives with GO WEST Diving, unlimited shore diving, daily breakfast, taxes and service charges, roundtrip airport transfers, ground transportation for group activities, tanks and weights.

Additional fees: A REEF Program Fee of $300 per diver will be added to each package to cover the cost of the group leaders, seminar and survey materials. Lunch and dinner not included.

Airport/hotel transfer information: Participants fly into/out of Willemstad (CUR) Hato International Airport. From there participants will be transported to Kura Hulanda Lodge & Beach Club, a 30 minute drive from the airport.

How to book: To reserve your space or find out more, e-mail us at trips@REEF.org, or call us at 305-588-5869. A $500 deposit will be collected at the time of booking. Visit our Trip Policies page for more information on deposit and payment schedules.

About the trip leaders: Lad Akins, REEF’s Director of Special Projects, is renowned as the leading expert on invasive species, specifically lionfish. He served as the Founding Executive Director of REEF and led the organization in that capacity for 16 years, helping to design and develop REEF’s widely recognized marine conservation programs. In 2005, he stepped down to focus his efforts solely on the lionfish invasion.

Peter A. Hughes is the Founder of the DivEncounters Alliance, a group of independent live-aboard dive operators, and a member of REEF’s Board of Directors. Peter is one of the diving world’s foremost live-aboard operators, having spent more than forty years in the diving industry. Peter received the DEMA Reaching Out Award for helping to evolve the live-aboard diving industry and subsequently joined the DEMA Hall of Fame in 2011.

*Promotion Conditions: $200 discount applies only to individuals who have never attended a REEF Field Survey Trip before the 2016 Curacao trip. Individuals who have attended a REEF Field Survey Trip prior to Aug. 20, 2016, may refer up to two new participants for a $100/person discount. Referral discount applied when new participant pays in full. Must register or have already registered for Curacao 2016 trip to be eligible for discount. Prices do not include an additional REEF Program Fee. All prices are per person based on double occupancy. Single occupancy rates available. Any liabilities for trip interruptions, cancellations, or general travel disputes will be the responsibility of the traveler.  

One of GO WEST's spacious dive boats.

Learn lionfish collection and handling techniques from experts. Photo credit: GO WEST Diving.

 The beautiful grounds of Kura Hulanda.