Reef Surveys with Clearwater Marine Aquarium Divers

Since Reef Monitoring was founded the goal was to train sports divers to conduct fish and invertebrate surveys on our local reefs. We have since grown and are now training divers from Clearwater Marine Aquaium (CMA) to conduct these surveys. CMA has funded a grant for us to take divers out twice a month to survey a few inshore reefs to continue our collection of baseline data.

Dr. Heyward Mathews going over the main reef fish on the survey data sheet

The divers practicing their transect skills in a pool. We want to make sure everyone gets down the methods of transect surveys before we have them counting live, swimming fish.

Everyone out in "the wild" taking data at two different sites offshore. Everyone who comes out does an awesome job and contributes amazing data to the project.

One of the few invaders we have seen at our closer reefs; but Cory made sure it didn't get to see another day.

Thanks again to all the CMA volunteer divers, to the aquarium for funding this project, and to all the recreational divers who continue to send us data. Be sure to pick up a survey kit at one of our hosting dive shops and remember to enter the data on the website under the survey tab.