FISH SURVEYING
Citizen Science Fish Surveying Programs
What can I do to help?
It’s a common question heard by dive professionals everyday. As natural ambassadors to the ocean, divers take a personal interest in protecting the underwater world. Many wish to actively get involved in marine conservation efforts but state time and lack of know-how as inhibiting factors. Our Fish Surveying Program aims to change that with its mission to make meaningful marine conservation work accessible to all divers.
The Red Sea is home to 1,200 different fish species with an estimated 15% of those endemic to the region. Yet despite this, it is one of the most understudied bodies of water in the world. As a member of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), an international marine conservation organization that implements hands-on programs to involve local communities in conservation-focused activities, we’ve developed the Citizen Science Fish Surveying Program to give divers visiting the region an opportunity to make a difference.
This program uses a combination of marine identification forums, observational fun dives, and official fish survey dives to help certified divers become citizen scientists and contribute biodiversity data to the scientific community.
FISH SURVEYING
Course Overview
Group sizes are kept small for a more personal learning and dive experience. Our Citizen Science Fish Surveying Program is available as a 3-day course.
3-Day Program
- attend a series of classroom presentations introducing you to approximately 50 unique fish species
- go for 4x fun dives to find and identify fish discussed in the classroom presentations
- learn and implement the Roving Diver Method for surveying
- conduct at least 2x official Red Sea fish surveys for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation
- submit biodiversity data and provide valid scientific information to researchers, scientists, and fellow conservationists
- become a citizen scientist and be able to plan, organize, and conduct your own fish surveys for REEF anywhere in the world
ADVANCED FISH SURVEYING
Course Overview
Group sizes are kept small for a more personal learning and dive experience. Our Citizen Science Advanced Fish Surveying Program is available as a 2-day course.
2-Day Program
- attend a series of classroom presentations introducing you to more than 40 unique fish species and recap previously learned fish species
- go for 2x fun dives to find and identify fish discussed in the classroom presentations and recap previously taught fish
- practice the Roving Diver Method for surveying
- conduct 2x official Red Sea fish surveys for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation
- submit biodiversity data and provide valid scientific information to researchers, scientists, and fellow conservationists
- Take the experience level 2 test and get the REEF upgrade
