REEF Involvement and Surveying
When and how did you first volunteer with REEF or become a REEF member? How did you first hear about REEF?
My first REEF experience was a lionfish trip to Curaçao. There was one fish surveyor on the trip, who showed me the survey sheets and some DB reports on his laptop, which I immediately found interesting. I went on a survey trip to Grenada the next year, and I was pretty much hooked by the end of the trip.
If you have been on a REEF Field Survey Trip, where and what was your trip highlight?
After Grenada, I started doing a couple of TWA trips each year, and began surveying on other non-REEF trips as well. One highlight was finding a family of 3 flying gurnards in Little Cayman. I have done a few survey trips to CIP, and was blown away by the number of fish species encountered there, versus TWA.
What inspires you to complete REEF surveys? What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned doing a REEF fish survey?
I enjoy the challenge of identifying new species of fish and learning about their behavior and habitats. I like returning to sites and comparing what I’m seeing now with what I’ve seen before.
If you had to explain REEF to a friend in a couple of sentences, what would you tell them?
REEF is like underwater birdwatching. We count the abundance of the fish species we see while underwater (and then I clarify the single/few/many/abundant system). I also say that, with REEF, you learn about fish behavior and which habitats you are most likely to find certain species of fish. I enjoy the challenge of learning new fish, and that some fish have very different looks depending on their life stage (like parrotfish and wrasses).
Diving, Fishwatching, and Surveying
Do you dive close to where you live, and if so, what is the best part about diving there? If you don’t dive nearby, where do you most often dive? Where is your favorite place to dive and why?
The nearest local diving to me (I live on the East Coast in Maryland) is 6 hours away, which is North Carolina wreck diving! I mostly dive in the TWA. I also try to make it to the Indo-Pacific occasionally. I don’t really have a favorite dive. Instead, I usually say, “My favorite dive is my next dive!” I am totally fine with reporting whatever fish I see, whether my species count is high or lower than I would have expected, given the goal is to provide useful data.
What is the most fascinating fish encounter you’ve experienced?
In addition to the flying gurnards I saw, I really enjoy the fish classes and finding new species that I’ve never seen before.
What is your favorite fish or marine invertebrate? Why is it your favorite?
I don’t really have a favorite fish. I do enjoy looking at hamlets, butterflyfish, and poking around for cardinalfish.
What is your most memorable fish find and why? Is there a fish (or marine invertebrate) you haven’t seen yet while diving and would like to?
It would be nice to see a whale shark or a hammerhead. I’ve never yet seen either one.