This summer has been filled with exciting REEF Discovery Programs and Expeditions for participants of all ages. One of the most meaningful was a two-day program with the Adapt-Able Foundation, a veteran-operated nonprofit that creates opportunities for people with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities to experience scuba diving.
On their first day at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center, participants learned about the Volunteer Fish Survey Project and practiced identifying fish commonly found in the Florida Keys. The next day, the group traveled to the Christ of the Abyss dive site in Key Largo, where the divers put their new skills to work alongside REEF staff and completed their own fish surveys.
"The positivity and enthusiasm of the Adapt-Able divers and volunteers were truly inspiring. I am so grateful to have shared this experience with them!" - Harrison Gaunt, REEF Marine Conservation Fellow
Back at the Ocean Exploration Center, participants submitted a survey together and learned about invasive lionfish and REEF's work to reduce their impact on native marine ecosystems. The program concluded with a lionfish dissection, where the group discovered both a juvenile lionfish and a sea robin in the fish's stomach.
The Adapt-Able divers and volunteers made this a truly special experience, and REEF looks forward to collaborating on more programs in the future.