$2,200 per person. Includes six nights double occupancy accommodation in a stateroom with private bathroom, all meals and non-alcoholic drinks while onboard, 3 dives per day (or more if desired) for six days, and unlimited use of kayaks and other water toys. Participants will board and disembark in Tortola, BVI (accessible by Tortola - airport code EIS, or by ferry from St. Thomas in the USVI, which requires an overnight stay)
$1,929 - $3,074 (double/single occupancy); $1,429 double occupancy non-diver rate also available for your land-loving companions. Package includes 7 nights of lodging in an oceanview superior room at Grotto Bay Hotel, daily buffet breakfast with gratuities, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives with Triangle Divers, r/t airport transfers, and all hotel taxes and fees. Participants will fly in/out of Bermuda (airport code BDA).
+$300 REEF Program Fee per diver will be added to each package to cover the cost of the group leader, seminar and survey materials.
$2,295 per person. Includes double occupancy in a stateroom with private bathroom, all meals, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks while on board, and up to 5 dives a day for five days. Participants fly in/out of Phoenix, Arizona (airport code PHX), and then arrange for a group van transfer to Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco, Mexico (approx. 3 1/2 hours). Shuttle pick up at PHX is at noon on 9/22 and pick up at the boat in Rocky Point at 8 am on 9/29. Please book flights arriving into PHX on Sept. 22 before 11:30am and book flight out of PHX on Sept. 29 for 3 pm or later.
$1,462 per person. Includes double occupancy in a standard room (free upgrade to deluxe ocean view on a first come first serve basis, based on availability), all meals, 5 days of 3-tank boat dives (2 AM dives, 1 PM dive), plus one night dive during the week, and an island tour of this historic location.
$979 - $1,375 (depending on occupancy and room type). Includes 7 nights of accommodation at Anchorage Hotel, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives with Dive Dominica, full breakfast each day, r/t airport transfers, all taxes and service charges. Team members will conduct surveys and dissect lionfish for research being conducted by REEF and local and international partners. Participants will fly in/out of Dominica (airport code DOM).
$1,558 per person. Includes double occupancy in a deluxe room, all meals, 5 days of 2-tank boat dives, and r/t boat transfer from St. Kitts to Nevis. Oualie Beach Resort is a spacious, beachfront, ecologically sensitive, 3 star Nevis hotel with only 32 rooms located right on a coconut-lined beach on the quiet, exotic, un-spoilt, twin island paradise of St Kitts and Nevis. We'll dive each day with SCUBA Safaris. There's also plenty to do top-side. Participants will fly in/out of St. Kitts (airport code SKB).
Divers will return to Florida Keys waters next month on a mission: net thousands of dollars in cash and prizes while protecting the environment from invasive lionfish. REEF and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are hosting the second annual lionfish derby series starting May 14, in Long Key, Fla. In 2010, the inaugural series of lionfish derbies removed 664 of the Pacific invaders from sanctuary waters. “Anyone who appreciates the diversity of the Keys coral reef should be concerned about these invasive fish,” said Sean Morton, Sanctuary Superintendent.
In addition to maintaining the REEF Survey database and providing data files to scientists, government agencies, and other groups, REEF staff participate in a variety of scientific conferences and workshops each year. Earlier this month, REEF's Director of Science, Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, participated in "Engaging and Learning for Conservation". Christy and 49 others were invited to the workshop to discuss ways to enhance biodiversity conservation and environmental stewardship through public participation in scientific research (PPSR).
REEF proudly awards our 2010 Volunteer(s) of the Year award to Donna Brown and Liz Foote. Donna and Liz both live on Maui in Hawaii, where they have been active in REEF since 2001 when we expanded the Fish Survey Project to the Hawaiian Islands. Donna has been a REEF member since 1994 and Liz since 1999. Both are members of the Hawaiian Islands Advanced Assessment Team and collectively have conducted 361 surveys. Donna and Liz were instrumental during the expansion to Hawaii.