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
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.
Join REEF for a full day exploring the health and resilience of Florida’s coastal ecosystems and the role each of us can play in understanding and protecting them.
The day begins with a Volunteer Fish Survey Project classroom session, where participants will learn how fish populations and reef communities can serve as indicators of ecosystem health and why long-term monitoring is important. Participants can then put their skills into practice during a guided REEF Fish Survey Project dive or snorkel, collecting observations that contribute to REEF’s citizen science database.
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:
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.
A fish as beautiful as it is destructive; invasive lionfish have had dramatic impacts on marine ecosystems due to their high reproductive rate and voracious appetites. These visually stunning fish have characteristic red and white stripes and long, fanlike spines and fins.
Join us for a free community science lesson and activity in our Science Discovery Classroom! Dive into REEF’s ongoing collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and scientists from UC San Diego and Oregon State to study and protect the Nassau Grouper, a keystone Caribbean species. Better understand how stakeholders play a role in species protection.
All ages welcome!
Join us for a free community science lesson and activity in our Science Discovery Classroom! This week learn about the spread of the invasive lionfish in the Florida Keys and how it has impacted the ecosystem. Then, watch an educational lionfish dissection and learn how to get involved in our removal efforts!
All ages are welcome!
