Did you know you can participate in REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project while snorkeling? It's a perfect way to dip your toes into citizen science and contribute valuable information about fish populations seen in our oceans, without all the gear and training involved with scuba diving. Snorkel surveys are perfect for:
- families with kids
- school groups
- grandparents with grandchildren
- ocean swimmers
- older adults who no longer dive
- anyone who isn't scuba certified
- those who just love to snorkel
- freedivers
Snorkelers can conduct surveys while staying on the surface the entire time, doing surface dives, or during deeper free dives. Snorkelers record the fish they see at the surface, down on the bottom, or anywhere in between in the water column. A small camera can be helpful in identifying the fish you see. Fish may look a bit different when viewing them from above, but fish move around a lot, so you can often see more identifying characteristics if you just wait and watch them for a while.
Check out some resources and tips from some of our most active snorkeling surveyors here: www.REEF.org/snorkel.
Do you conduct REEF surveys while snorkeling? We'd love to hear from you! Contact janna@REEF.org to tell us all about it!