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A sincere thanks to all of our 2022 volunteers who helped Reef Conservation International make a conservation impact! 2022 marine conservation achievements by the numbers: 8662 Invasive Lionfish removed from the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve Park waters 14,701 pounds of plastic and trash removed from the ocean via our volunteer beach cleanups 391 baby sea turtles…

The Christmas Tree Worm is a colorful marine worm with beautiful, spiraling plumes that resemble – you guessed it – a Christmas tree!  These animals can be a variety of colors from red, orange, yellow, blue and white. The “Christmas tree” shape shown in the image is the animal’s radioles, which can be up to…

ReefCI needs your help this holiday season!! Please support ReefCI through our Amazon Smile charity list. Image below to shop ReefCI’s Amazon charity list and purchase one of our items of need that will then be shipped directly to ReefCI.  It has been a rough year due to inflation (gas and food costs are sky…

A mysterious shark that is typically found in the waters of the Arctic Ocean was spotted on a coral reef in Belize this summer. The shark was discovered by researcher Devanshi Kasana, a Ph.D. candidate at Florida International University, who was in Belize tagging tiger sharks as part of a long-term shark and ray monitoring project….

The month of September on the ReefCI island has been a special one – whale sharks and sea turtles!  This month has been a treat for our volunteers!! We have had several nests of endangered hawksbill sea turtles hatch and make their return to the sea to begin their perilous journey to adulthood.   In 20…

August 15th, 2022 was a landmark day for Reef Conservation International!   The momentous day marked the maiden voyage of ReefCI 3 – our newest dive boat!   We are so excited and proud to finally have a dive boat that meets the needs of our conservation efforts.  We also wanted to say thank you to all…

Hurricane season in the Caribbean runs from June 1 through November 30 and normally peaks in August and September.   In 2020 there were more recorded storms (30 named storms) than any previous year and the second-highest number of hurricanes ever recorded, clocking in at 14.  Proving that 2020 was the worst year ever – not only was it…

June 8th is World Oceans Day!  This day is celebrated around the word to bring awareness and appreciate to our ocean planet!  After all, 70% of our planet is ocean.  However, our oceans are under attack from climate change, overfishing, invasive species, coastal development and many other threats.  We need to make World Oceans Day…

Earth’s second largest reef, the Belize Barrier Reef is celebrating its 10,000th birthday in 2022, according to scientists who have studied the origins and composition of the reef.  The Belize Barrier Reef is without question one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. The reef runs 190 miles from Mexico in the north to Honduras in…

Spotted trunkfish are among the stranger looking fish you will encounter!  They are polka dotted with black spots, have protruding eyes and snouts, and are poor swimmers due to their bulky and ridged shape.  They certainly stick out due to their unique, slow rate of swimming and shape.  Here are 5 interesting facts about the…

Belize, as a tiny country located on the Caribbean Sea, is among the most endangered and disaster-prone countries in the world. For citizens along the coasts, which hosts the second largest barrier reef in the world, the impacts of climate change are apparent. Ocean temperatures are rising every year, resulting in coral…

In late 2021 and continuing into 2022, in the U.S. state of Florida, an ecological disaster has led to the deaths of more than 1,500 endangered manatees. These enormous, gentle giant marine mammals feed on seagrass in shallow coastal areas, but a massive die-off of seagrass has left them without enough to eat.  In some…