Author: Tom Sparke, Communications Manager
REEF Fest 2026 is almost here, and this year mornings are all about getting out on the water. From October 15 to 17, our REEF Fest Experience Partners are offering diving, snorkeling, and marine science adventures up and down the Upper Keys, so you can build the kind of REEF Fest that suits you best. Spend your mornings underwater, then join us at the Ocean Exploration Center in the afternoons and evenings for seminars and social events.
One important note this year: please book directly with the operator of your choice. REEF is not coordinating these trips, so each partner sets its own pricing, check-in times, and cancellation policies. Be sure to confirm those details, along with any equipment or certification requirements, when you reserve.
Here is a quick look at what our partners have planned:
Conch Republic Divers (Tavernier) has a themed dive each day: a Lionfish Removal trip on Thursday, a Goal Clean Seas debris-removal dive on Friday, and a Fish ID dive on Saturday. REEF Fest attendees pay a special rate of $90 per trip.
Amoray Dive Resort (Key Largo) is running a Fish ID dive on Thursday, a Coral Maintenance Dive on Friday, and a NOAA Reef Guardian Coral Health experience on Saturday. Mention REEF Fest for 15% off regular prices.
Key Dives (Islamorada) is offering a wreck dive on the Eagle on Thursday, a Fish ID dive at Alligator Reef and Rocky Top on Friday, and a Goal Clean Seas cleanup on Saturday. REEF Fest attendees receive 10% off.
MarineLab Undersea Park (Key Largo) offers something a little different: Snorkel with a Marine Biologist ($53 plus tax) or a Jules' Mini-Mission tour of the undersea habitat ($110 plus tax). Use code reef26 for 10% off trips between October 13 and 20.
Whether you are a seasoned diver, a first-time snorkeler, or simply curious about marine science, there is an adventure with your name on it. Explore all of the offerings and booking details, and visit the REEF Fest homepage for the full schedule of seminars and events.
We can't wait to see you in the Keys!
Author: Harrison Gaunt, REEF Marine Conservation Fellow
This school year, REEF is excited to partner with Key Largo School on a new series of eight Discovery Programs, made possible through the Art Builds Community 2027 grant. Over the coming months, more than 400 local students will be invited to explore the natural ecosystems of the Florida Keys through hands-on art and environmental storytelling.
Each program is tailored to the age of participating students and combines environmental education with guided visual art activities. Alongside REEF educators, students will learn about some of the habitats that make the Florida Keys so special, including coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows, and discover the important roles these ecosystems play in their community.
From there, students are encouraged to think beyond the science and reflect on their own connections to these places. Through memories, experiences, and observations of the natural world around them, participants will consider how the Florida Keys have helped shape their own sense of place and home.
Using those reflections as inspiration, students will create original works of art that tell their stories and celebrate their relationship with the Florida Keys. Across the eight Discovery Programs, we hope to inspire creativity, environmental awareness, and a deeper personal connection to the ecosystems students see every day.
Learn more about REEF's Discovery Programs.
Author: Noa Parks, Citizen Science Coordinator
Congratulations to REEF surveyor Steve Vinitsky, who recently joined the Golden Hamlet Club! This distinguished group is made up of highly dedicated volunteers who have conducted 1,000 or more REEF surveys in contribution to the Volunteer Fish Survey Project.
Looking back, Steve completed his very first REEF survey on June 25th, 2000 at Coral Gardens on Dominica, during a Field Survey Trip led by REEF Co-founders, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach. Since then, Steve has been an avid citizen scientist, conducting marine life surveys in regions all over the world including the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) , Hawaii, South Pacific, South Atlantic States, Central Indo-Pacific, and the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
For his milestone 1,000th survey, Steve was diving in the beautiful and biodiverse waters of the Philippines. Most of his surveys have been conducted in the TWA, where he is an Expert Level surveyor. Within the TWA, Steve's favorite place to dive is Cozumel! In the Pacific, his favorite spots (so far) have been Tubbataha and Raja Ampat. Looking ahead, Steve hopes to travel and survey in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Congratulations, Steve! Your dedication to marine conservation and the Volunteer Fish Survey Project makes a lasting impact. Read more about the Golden Hamlet Club here.
Author: Tom Sparke, Communications Manager
Meet our September Fish of the Month, the Painted Comber, Serranus scriba, a small but spectacularly decorated member of the sea bass family. Its name says it all: the intricate scribble of blue and red lines across its head looks as though an artist signed their work, and once you have seen one up close, it is hard to forget.
Survey Regions: The Painted Comber is a signature species of the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (EAM) survey region. REEF surveyors encounter it throughout the Mediterranean, as well as in the eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay south along the coast of Africa and around the Canary Islands and Azores. It favors shallow rocky reefs and seagrass meadows, often in easy view of snorkelers and divers.
Size: Modest but mighty. Adults typically reach 20 to 25 cm / 8 to 10 in, with some individuals growing a little larger.
Identifying Features: Look for a pale, coppery body crossed by five to seven dark vertical bars, a soft blue wash along the belly, and, most distinctively, a maze of bright blue and reddish-brown lines scribbled across the snout and cheeks. That head pattern is the quickest way to separate it from its close relative, the Comber (Serranus cabrilla). Painted Combers are curious and often hold their ground, letting patient observers get a good, long look.
Fun Facts: The species name scriba comes from the Latin for "scribe," a nod to those pen-and-ink markings. Like many of its sea bass relatives, the Painted Comber is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, carrying both male and female reproductive tissue at the same time. It is a confident little ambush predator, too, hunting small fish and crustaceans across the reef and seagrass beds it calls home.
See the Painted Comber in the wild. Want to meet this little artist in person? It is a classic sighting on our Cyprus Field Survey Trip, September 11 to 18, 2027, REEF's second Mediterranean adventure, based on the beautiful island of Cyprus and led by REEF Education Coordinator Mead Krówka. Spaces are available. Register today and email trips@REEF.org with any questions.
Photo by Sylvain Le Bris
