Join us for a free community science lesson and activity in our Science Discovery Classroom! This week explore Florida Keys ecosystems by examining local animals and plants and learning how they are all interconnected. Discover the unique benefits of each ecosystem.
All ages welcome!
Join us for a free community science lesson and activity in our Science Discovery Classroom! This week learn to identify common fish in the Florida Keys and how you can get involved with the Volunteer Fish Survey Project.
All ages welcome!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Did you know that REEF has the largest marine biodiversity database in the world? You can access a variety of reports to bring this data into your classroom or programs. Incorporating REEF data into lessons allows students to graph and synthesize real-world information, analyze trends, and pose their own questions. Using the REEF database, you can generate different types of reports to show all of the fish species documented in a given area, or dive deeper by examining the distribution of a specific species or family.
Each winter, thousands of endangered Nassau Grouper gather at a special location in the waters of Little Cayman to spawn after the full moon. REEF has developed Grouper Moon educator resources to engage students with this amazing natural phenomenon, and help them understand the ecological, and cultural importance of Nassau Grouper as a top predator on Caribbean coral reefs.
