Reef Environmental Education Foundation

Which fish are YOU? 🐟 Every racer has a spirit fish. This June 7–13, step out of the water and into your look for the Fish Out of Water Virtual 5K. Join us from anywhere in the world and run, walk, bike, paddle, or swim on your own terms, in your own waters, for the ocean you love. 🌊 Proceeds from your registration supports the REEF Oceans for All Fund. Pick your fish team, lace up, and make your miles count. 👉 Register now at REEF.org/5K #FishOutOfWater5K #REEF5K #REEForg #VirtualRace #OceanConservation #StealTheLook #FishTeam #RunForTheOcean #CitizenScience #MarineLife #JewelMoray #BatRay #NinelineGoby #RaccoonButterflyfish #PacificBirdWrasse #WorldOceansDay #5K #RunningCommunity #OceansForAll #REEFcommunity

Every survey counts. Every diver counts. Every July, thousands of citizen scientists around the world show up for the ocean, will your community be one of them this year? Sign up or register your event at REEF.org/gafc #GreatAnnualFishCount #REEF #CitizenScience #MarineConservation #DivingForScience

The 2027 REEF Field Survey Trip schedule is LIVE and spots are already going fast. Palau, Madagascar, Socorro, Cyprus, Indonesia and more await. Book your Dive Vacation That Counts today at /trips

Today we say a bittersweet goodbye to Carolyn Corley. Carolyn's REEF story is a special one. She arrived as our 2023 Dr. Jamie L. King Marine Conservation Intern through Our World Underwater Scholarship Society, stayed on as a Marine Conservation Fellow, and grew into a valued Education Coordinator and a true leader on our team. In her time on staff, Carolyn organized the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby, brought our Fish Out of Water 5K to life, and launched the Ocean After Hours program at the Ocean Exploration Center. She wrote the REEF Junior Explorer guidebook that now sends young explorers on adventures through our exhibits. She also held down so much of the everyday work that keeps REEF moving, leading trips, running the REEF Store, organizing trip materials, and writing donor letters. And as a former intern herself, she shaped our internship program with a rare thoughtfulness, making sure every intern had the kind of transformative experience she once had. But what we'll miss most is harder to put in a list: her positive attitude, her cooperative spirit, and the way she made everyone around her better. Thank you, Carolyn, for everything you gave REEF. We can't wait to see where you go next.

UNESCO reefs. Off the chart fish diversity. Soft-coral walls. Macro that goes for days. Few spaces remain on REEF's 2026 Tubbataha → Visayas Field Survey Trip — 10 nights aboard the Philippines Aggressor. 📅 June 28 – July 8, 2026 🐠 27 dives, 3–4 per day 🔬 Led by Christy Pattengill-Semmens P.hD & Brice Semmens P. hD — every dive feeds REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project 🔗 Visit REEF.org/trips to book — or DM us for details. Explore. Discover. Make a Difference. #REEFTrips #Tubbataha #Visayas #Philippines #ScubaDiving

Some of the best science starts with the hardest questions — including the ones we ask ourselves. 🦈 In his new TEDxTorrey Pines talk, shark researcher Brendan Talwar (@shark_docs ) shares the hardest lesson he's learned in his career — an honest reflection on the choices that shape a life spent in service of the sea. You may know Brendan and the @shark_docs team as champions of Netflix's All the Sharks — who donated their $25,000 prize to @reef_org Watch the full talk on YouTube: TedX Talks or check our story for the link!

A huge THANK YOU to our local volunteers who help make the REEF Lionfish Derby & Festival possible! 💙🐟 From filleting hundreds of lionfish, to keeping score of a record-breaking 2,480 lionfish, to running games, activities, and cheering on derby participants, our volunteer crew brings so much energy, care, and dedication to this event. We are so grateful for everything you do for REEF, our community, and healthy ocean ecosystems. Drop a 💙 in the comments to help us thank our amazing volunteers!

Early Bird registration ends TODAY! 🐟💨 Join us for REEF’s 7th Annual Fish Out of Water Virtual 5K, happening June 7–13, 2026. Run, walk, bike, hike, swim, or complete your 5K your own way — from anywhere! All proceeds support the REEF Oceans for All Fund, helping bring ocean education and conservation opportunities to more communities. 🌊💙 Register today before Early Bird closes!

From the classroom to the reef 🐠 Students from Benjamin School spent their REEF Ocean Explorers Expedition learning to think like marine scientists. They mastered REEF Fish ID Surveys at the Ocean Exploration Center, then took their new skills snorkeling to put them into practice. They also kayaked through dense mangroves, and got hands-on with a lionfish dissection to learn about invasive species in our waters. Real science. Real ocean. Real memories. Interested in a REEF Ocean Explorers Expedition? Reach out to [email protected]. #REEFOceanExplorers #MarineBiology #STEM #FieldCourse #BenjaminSchool

Closing out Autism Awareness Month with gratitude. 💙🌊 In honor of the month, we're resurfacing REEF's Science on the Spectrum featuring @Tsunde_Oku — a conversation with scientists who have neurodivergence about their experiences, their science, and the ways we can all build a more accessible STEM community. Different minds = stronger science. 🎥 Watch the recording on our YouTube channel: WeSpeakFish To every scientist, diver, educator, and ocean lover who has neurodivergence in our community — we see you, we celebrate you, and we're better because of you. #AutismAwarenessMonth #AutismAcceptance #Neurodiversity #ScienceOnTheSpectrum

Since REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project was launched in 1993, it has established one of the largest worldwide marine life databases! 🤯 This citizen science program allows snorkelers and divers alike to become more involved in marine conservation and the opportunity to give back to our oceans. 🌊 Our very own REEF Level 5 Surveyor, Dana, can teach you fish identification, the roving diver survey method and provide you with the tools you need to conduct your own fish survey dives. What are you waiting for?! Let’s count some fish! 🐠 🐡 🐟 #volunteerfishsurveyproject #citizenscience #fishid #protectouroceans #bonairediving

🏆 A FLORIDA KEYS RECORD 🏆 2,480 invasive lionfish removed. The biggest haul in 17 years of REEF derbies, and a new Florida Keys record!!! The story this year wasn’t just one dominant team, it was the depth of the field. Five Apex Predators teams each removed over 300 lionfish, something we’ve never seen before: 🥇 Badfish Slayers — 659 (a new REEF derby team record, beating Forever Young’s 648 from 2023) 🥈 Aquamented — 395 🥉 Lionfish Exterminator Corp — 392 Other category winners: 📏 Largest fish: Lionfish Eliminators — 420 mm 🤏 Smallest fish: Badfish Slayers — 49 mm 🎯 Most fish, REEF Defenders: The Hunters — 121 🐠 Smallest live: Tequilla Little Time — 84 mm ✨ Golden Lionfish: Lionfish Exterminator Corp Huge thanks to the Ocean Reef Conservation Association and the Monroe County Tourism Development Council for premier sponsorship 🙌 and to every team, vendor, volunteer, sponsor, artist, musician, chef and community member who made this happen. Every lionfish off the reef is a win for native species 🪸, and this year was a record-breaking year! 🎉 #LionfishDerby2026 #REEF #Lionfish #FloridaKeys #InvasiveSpecies