Author: Tom Sparke, Communications Manager
REEF Fest returns to Key Largo, Florida, October 15–18, 2026, for four days of seminars, diving, socials, and celebration. Registration is open now, and here is what you will not want to miss.
For the Love of the Sea: Get Your Tickets Now
The highlight of REEF Fest weekend is our For the Love of the Sea Celebration on Saturday, October 17, from 5:00 to 8:30 pm, at a beautiful outdoor waterfront venue on Blackwater Sound (MM 103.6, next to Quiescence Diving Services). Enjoy dinner, drinks, and a sunset over Florida Bay alongside fellow ocean lovers, and browse the silent auction benefiting REEF’s marine conservation programs.
Tickets are $125 per person and include passed hors d’oeuvres (from lionfish bites to tropical caprese skewers), food stations featuring Cuban, churrasco, and vegan tropical curry, and an open bar with signature cocktails, local craft beer from Florida Keys Brewing Company, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. Space is limited and tickets are selling fast, so reserve yours today. Tickets are required and can be purchased when you register for REEF Fest at www.REEF.org/REEFfest.
Meet the Speakers
Our seminar series is free, open to all, and livestreamed on the REEF Facebook page and YouTube channel. Join us at the REEF Ocean Exploration Center for an inspiring lineup of scientists, naturalists, and the REEF team.
From Grass to Reef: Tracing Water and Fish Connections Across South Florida
Dr. Jennifer Rehage, Florida International University
Something Seems Fishy: Applications of Forensic Science in Wildlife Conservation
Aisha Rickli-Rahman, Conservation Biologist
The Role of Fishes, their Niches, and the Success of Mission: Iconic Reefs
Kai Lopez, NOAA Marine Stewardship & Monitoring Specialist
You will also hear directly from the REEF team with a REEF Conservation Science Panel, Reef Encounters: A Photographic Journey through REEF Field Survey Trips with Field Survey Trips Program Manager Stacey Henderson, and One Year of Impact at the Ocean Exploration Center with Co-Executive Director Martha Klitzkie.
Socials, Dives, and More
Every evening brings a chance to connect with our ocean-minded community:
- Welcome Reception & Lionfish Jewelry Workshop – Thursday, October 15, 4:00–6:00 pm at the REEF Campus. Kick off the weekend, tour the Ocean Exploration Center, and get creative. Free to attend.
- REEF Fest Happy Hour Social – Friday, October 16, 4:00 pm at the Ocean Exploration Center, followed by an evening seminar. Free to attend.
- For the Love of the Sea Celebration – Saturday, October 17 (details above). Tickets required.
Mornings are yours: dive or snorkel with a REEF Fest Experience Partner (book directly with the operator), join the Sunday morning nature walk at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, or take in a Mote coral nursery tour. Most events are free and open to the public, but pre-registration is requested so we can plan accordingly.
See the full schedule, speaker bios, and grab your For the Love of the Sea tickets at www.REEF.org/REEFfest. We can’t wait to celebrate the ocean with you in Key Largo!
Author: Tom Sparke, Communications Manager
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.
Author: Janna Nichols, REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Welcome to the Citizen Science Corner, our quarterly feature to celebrate those who recently reached a milestone in our Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Here are achievements from July, August and September 2026.
Ultra Golden Hamlet Award
The Ultra Golden Hamlet Award is for individuals who have conducted at least 2000 surveys. Congratulations to our newest achiever! Click here to see other Ultra Golden Hamlet Award achievers.
Golden Hamlet Award
This award is for those who have conducted at least 1000 surveys. See their article in this or future issues of Making It Count. Click here to read more about this prestigious award and others who have achieved it.
- Karen Bogart
- Callie Mack
- Sue Manning
100 Survey Milestone
Congratulations to those who have reached this milestone within the last three months:
- Heidi Wilken
- Desirée Bell
- Guy Pinneo
- Martha Klitzkie
- David Hoffman
Experience Level Advancements
REEF Experience Levels are a way for divers and snorkelers to measure their fish ID knowledge along with their surveying experience. Experience Levels are achieved by submitting a certain number of surveys and passing a fish ID test. For more info, visit www.REEF.org/experiencelevels. Let's hear it for the REEF members who have advanced an Experience Level!
All listed below are Level 2 unless otherwise noted.
California (CAL)
Melanie Moreno - Level 5
Adrienne DuCharme
Allison Wylot
Ewa Lis
Ilona Phipps-Morgan
Isabella McFarland
Jacob Schaer
Jason McFarland
Jennifer Riggin
Lynne Cooley
Sara McCarthy
Tara Power
Yaman Jandali
Central Indo-Pacific (CIP)
Francis Malinosky-Rummell - Level 5
Stacey Henderson - Level 5
Heather George
Michelle Sayre
Stu Sayre
Eastern Atlantic & Mediterranean (EAM)
Dave Thompson
Gracie Semmens
Kristi Lorin
Linda Bilsing
Luanne Betz
Marta Zahalak
Tatum Semmens
Indian Ocean / Red Sea (IORS)
Emily Mayo
Kacper Konopka
Mark Davidson
Nitasha Nehal
Paulina Weiss
Soline Bregnard
South Atlantic States (SAS)
Makiri Sei
South Pacific (SOP)
Francis Malinosky-Rummell - Level 5
Dana Kowalsick
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Pat Hartshorne - Level 5
Carmen Toanchina
Makiri Sei
Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA)
Chris Karrenberg - Levels 2 and 3
Donna Goodale - Level 3
Martijn Klinjstra - Level 3
Matt Zimmerman - Levels 2 and 3
Pamela Osler
Susan Grieco
Aiden Chang
Aleah Mulgrew
Alexandra Hanna
Ariel Quiroz
Aubri Kehoe
Bill Lafferty
Briana Maltez
Cael Kelley
Carol Segar
Celeste Giannoulias
Claire Reilly
Daemon Thomas
Daisy Anderson
Daria Torres
Deb Oetjen
Desmond Klitzkie
Dillan Cawley
Dorianne Lownsbury
Ejiro Montoya
Ella Rogers
Emilie Gates
Emma Carr
Erin Schmidt
Evan Serris
Frank Goodale
Geo Schecter
Hannah Weller
Hayes Appel
Heather Bogle
Hope Dutch
Isabella Wilson
Isabelle Jane Froerer
Jason Buttenshaw
Jayden Mancheski
Jocie Thom
Jonathan Chewning
Josh Ledford
Julie MacDougal
Karlee Killen
Kate Boothe
Kelee Kersch-Hamar
Kloe Victorino
Kyle Hand
Macie Swartz
Maddison Heckman
Marcia Hendrickson
Marilene Van Oudheusten
Mikayla Neff
Mirre Bijmolem
Molly Kemp
Natalee Keller
Nick Cahill
Olivia Del Rosario
Piper Figallo
Raymond Doty
Reagan Stalter
Robert Bevins
Ruben Silva Otero
Rylan Chang
Sana Sakr
Sara Trumble
Sarah Dunlop
Sharon Doty
Solé Agulla
Stephanie Winning
Teegan Hughes
Tessa Wiegand
Turasmi Hogesteger
Tyler Blixt
Westin Wallander
William Wallace Carroll
Ximiao Zhai
Author: Tom Sparke, Communications Manager
Meet our October Fish of the Month, the Blue Hamlet, Hypoplectrus gemma — a shimmering, all-blue jewel of the reef and one of the Florida Keys’ true local specialties. Found almost nowhere else on Earth, it is a fitting star for October, when REEF Fest brings our community together in Key Largo.
Survey Regions: Blue Hamlets belong to the Tropical Western Atlantic (TWA) survey region, with a stronghold in Florida and especially the Florida Keys. REEF surveyors log them most reliably here, which makes every sighting a point of pride for Keys divers.
Size: Small. Typically around 8 to 13 cm (3 to 5 in), with the deep, laterally compressed body of a miniature sea bass.
Identifying Features: The Blue Hamlet is unmistakable among Atlantic reef fish: a uniform, iridescent pale blue body with no bars or blotches, set off by fine dark speckling around the snout and eyes. That solid blue color separates it from its many hamlet cousins, which wear stripes, bars, and patches of contrasting color.
Fun Facts: Hamlets are one of the reef’s great evolutionary puzzles. The genus Hypoplectrus includes more than a dozen color forms, among them the Blue, Indigo, Barred, Butter, Shy, and rare Golden Hamlet, that are nearly identical in every way except color. Scientists still debate whether they represent many species or one. Hamlets are also simultaneous hermaphrodites: each fish carries both male and female organs, and spawning pairs take turns releasing eggs and sperm in a remarkable dusk ritual known as “egg trading.”
Hamlets hold a special place in REEF’s story, too. Our Golden Hamlet Club, which honors volunteers who complete 1,000 or more surveys, is named for the elusive Golden Hamlet, a nod to how rewarding it is to spot every member of this colorful family. This month’s photograph comes from the late Paul Humann, a REEF Co-Founder whose fish identification books and images introduced generations of divers to the underwater world.
See the Blue Hamlet in the wild. There is no better place to look than right here in the Florida Keys. Join us for REEF Fest, October 15–18 in Key Largo, and dive the very reefs this Keys specialty calls home. Most events are free, but pre-registration is requested. Learn more and register at www.REEF.org/REEFfest.
