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: Stacey Henderson, Field Survey Trips Program Manager
Submissions for the 2026 REEF Discover the Sea Underwater Photography Contest are now open! All ocean photographers are invited to submit their favorite photos. It’s free to enter, and you may submit up to three photos per person in each of the following categories:
• Fish Portrait: Portrait shots of fish only; may include the fish's whole body or be framed around the head only
• Macro: Close-up shots that make the subject appear "larger than life"
• Invertebrates: Photos featuring ocean life with no spine
• Comedy: Photos may include your best comedic photos, from weird faces, the worst photo bombs, to hilarious mishaps
• Habitat/Seascape/Environment: Photos of an ocean environment or seascape. They do not have to be underwater but must be marine-focused, such as over/under shots, mangroves, or topside water shots.
Submissions will be judged by a popular vote. Voting will be open online from September 21 - 30. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category for the photo that receives the most votes. The winning photos and photographers will be announced after the voting has ended.
One photo will be selected by REEF staff from the winning entries as the Overall Winner. The Overall Winner will receive a voucher to waive the REEF fee for one of our Field Survey Trips, valued at $350–$400. *The trip must be booked within one year of the winning date.
Visit www.REEF.org/photocontest for rules, submission guidelines, and to see past years' winners.
Photo credits from L-R: Tom Anderson, Gabriel Jensen, Shuo-Wei Chang, Dana Kowalsick, Burak Evrenosoglu.
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: Stacey Henderson, Field Survey Trips Program Manager
If you’re looking for a Field Survey Trip that offers more than just snorkeling and diving, REEF’s Costa Rica Eco-Adventure Field Survey Trip is right up your alley. This unique eco-adventure combines diving and snorkeling with Costa Rica’s incredible marine life and exciting land-based adventures through its vibrant tropical rainforests. The weeklong itinerary includes four days of diving and snorkeling, with two dives per day to conduct REEF surveys, along with land tours in Monteverde that showcase the incredible biodiversity of this amazing destination. Explore hanging bridges, encounter sloths, and hike through a breathtaking cloud forest while experiencing the best of Costa Rica both above and below the water. Family-friendly and welcoming to divers and non-divers alike, this expedition offers something for everyone and is sure to be an unforgettable adventure. You can find our more information here.
Dates: 7/17/2027 to 7/24/2027
Every REEF Field Survey Trip is more than a dive vacation. Participants receive expert fish identification training, gain hands-on survey experience, and contribute valuable data used by scientists and resource managers to better understand and protect reef ecosystems. Space is limited, and many trips fill quickly, so reserve your spot and join REEF for an unforgettable year of diving with purpose. Email trips@REEF.org with questions or to sign up!
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Liberia International Airport → Guanacaste
Airport meet-and-greet for a short private transfer to your beach hotel. Arrive, settle in, and relax on Costa Rica’s Gold Coast before your next morning dive adventure. Group briefing and dive center check-in meeting on-site, followed by an included welcome dinner.
Day 2, 3, 4, 5 – Scuba Diving: 2-Tank AM Boat Dive
Breakfast at the Hotel (included). Boats will pick up the group right from the beach in front of the hotel, including 2-tank dives/snorkels with a great variety and abundance of marine life. Return to the hotel for the afternoon by the pool or arrange an outside adventure. Early evening fish class, followed by dinner on your own.
Day 6 – Guanacaste → Monteverde | Forest Wildlife Immersion
Breakfast at the hotel (included). Departure and scenic transfer from Guanacaste to Poco a Poco in Monteverde. Lunch upon arrival. Hanging bridges, sloth habitat, and a butterfly garden tour in the afternoon, and a group dinner at a local Monteverde restaurant in the evening.
Day 7 – Cloud Forest Exploration
Breakfast at the hotel and a morning guided cloud forest walk in one of the Cloud Forest Reserves. Lunch is included after the hike. The afternoon is open for optional tours, including ziplining. Farewell dinner at Poco a Poco.
Day 8 – Monteverde → Liberia International Airport (B)
Breakfast at the hotel and group transfer back to Liberia International Airport for departure.
Optional additional tours are also available based on request: Coffee and Chocolate Tour, Zip Lining, and Wildlife Cruises.
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: Jill Kuehnert, Campus Director
One of my favorite things about REEF's Campus changes with the seasons, but it has nothing to do with the weather. It's the arrival of new interns.
Every January, May, and August, we welcome a new cohort of young people — usually four — to live and work with us for a semester. They come from all over, most in their final year of college or recently graduated, and arrive through a genuinely competitive application and interview process.
True to their title, Education and Conservation Interns (ECIs, as we call them) spend much of their time here on education: teaching Explorers programs, accompanying Expedition groups, and welcoming visitors into the Ocean Exploration Center. Wherever you are, if you've called the REEF phone number, ordered from our online store, or joined a virtual program, an intern has been part of it.
They arrive with their own goals — to find out what it's like to work in education or a nonprofit, or something more personal. What they end up accomplishing is often more than they expected, as this past summer's interns demonstrated. Navya created an Ocean After Hours program on cephalopods. Jay built an entire Escape Room event from scratch. Nevaeh earned her open water certification right here in the Keys. Will took to the REEF tent at Coralpalooza in his first week, and it became one of the highlights of his whole internship.
Some interns grow so much we invite them back for a year-long Fellowship — Daisy Anderson and Camille Beeding are our newest. Fellow Harrison Gaunt took that spirit even further. Building on Science Saturday programming that an earlier Fellow, Anna Velardi, first started, he created "Senses of the Sea" and other engaging classes. These became such hits that Harrison had a fan family show up every single Saturday, eager to see what he'd cooked up next!
When semesters end, some interns head back to finish school or on to graduate programs. Some return as Fellows. Some go on to join our staff. All of them leave a mark on this campus and on the Keys community that gets to know them along the way.
Below, in Faces of REEF, you'll meet our incoming interns and Fellow. Join me in welcoming them.
Author: Tom Sparke, Communications Manager
There are some new faces at the Ocean Exploration Center this season. REEF is delighted to welcome four new Marine Education & Conservation Interns for the fall, along with a new Marine Conservation Fellow who is no stranger to Key Largo.
Our interns spend the season working alongside REEF staff on education programs, citizen science, and community outreach, gaining hands-on experience across every part of the organization. Please join us in giving them all a warm welcome.
Ava Tidball
Ava joins us from Collinsville, Illinois, and holds a B.S. in Zoology from Colorado State University. A fascination with coral reef ecology, and particularly the role grazers play in keeping reefs healthy, led to a growing interest in coral restoration and conservation. Outside of work, Ava enjoys hiking, trying new restaurants, and watching movies while crafting. This season, Ava is looking forward to developing public outreach and field work skills, earning a SCUBA certification, and experiencing the Florida Keys firsthand.
Erin Fraser
Erin comes to REEF from Massachusetts and studied zoology at the University of Vermont, with minors in dance and mathematics. A childhood love of the ocean, sparked at the New England Aquarium, later grew into a semester studying marine ecology in South Caicos and a set of diving certifications. When not underwater, Erin enjoys sports, board and card games, reading, and crafting. The goal for this internship is to keep diving and work toward rescue diver and divemaster certifications while contributing to marine conservation.
Sofia Paz
Sofia is from Miami, Florida, and earned a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Marine Biology from Florida International University. Coral restoration work in Costa Rica and marine research in Honduras revealed a passion for combining scientific diving, conservation, and education. Away from the water, Sofia enjoys planning trips, watching movies, and reading. This season is a step toward a career that blends research, education, and hands-on conservation, and a chance to connect with fellow ocean enthusiasts.
Lorien Molstad
Lorien holds a B.S. in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University, with research focused on how people interact with the marine environment. That interest has already led to conservation diving and coral restoration work in Thailand. Lorien hopes to become a conservation educator, bridging a passion for the ocean with education and outreach, and this season at REEF is the next step in that direction.
Camille Beeding, Marine Conservation Fellow
We are also delighted to welcome Camille Beeding as a Marine Conservation Fellow from August 2026 to August 2027. Camille is a familiar face at REEF, having joined us as a Marine Education & Conservation Intern in summer 2025, and we are thrilled to have her back.
Camille earned her B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science with a minor in sociology from Louisiana State University, and studied abroad in both the Bahamas and Mexico as an undergraduate. Having spent her whole life in coastal communities, she is drawn to understanding the relationship between people and the marine environment, and how that connection shapes conservation. During her internship with REEF she earned her PADI Advanced and Rescue diver certifications. She enjoys diving and exploring new places and cultures.
The Marine Conservation Fellow Program launched in 2022 and offers an extended, mentored experience across REEF's education, outreach, and conservation science work.
Welcome aboard
Every one of these positions is a step toward a career in marine conservation, and we are grateful for the energy each of them brings to our programs, our members, and the reefs we all care about.
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
