Harvest, eat, win cash, and learn about exotic lionfish in the Lionfish Safari Sept. 9-11 at Guy Harvey Outpost, a Tradewinds Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach. The Outpost, in conjunction with the non-profit Reef Monitoring, Inc., will award $600 for the most lionfish and $600 for the heaviest lionfish, plus other cash prizes in the weekend-long, family-friendly ocean bash.

The hunt for the exotic predators from the Indo Pacific will take place all day on Sept. 10, with no boundaries and no time limit. Entry fee is $35 per diver. Weigh-in festivities and a family fun day will follow on Sept. 11. Chefs from the Outpost’s RumFish Grill will cook and serve the harvest on the beach after researchers from Reef Monitoring take samples for scientific research.

One of the teams to beat will be led by Captain Scott Crawford, owner/instructor at Rock Bottom Divers near Tarpon Springs. Crawford, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and eight other vets– four of them amputees–will employ their formidable combat skills in the campaign to mow down the aquatic invaders.

For more information and to register, go HERE. Guy Harvey Outpost will offer a Florida Resident Special rate during the tournament.

Then from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) will host REEF Fest 2016 in Key Largo. This celebration of marine conservation in the Keys will feature educational seminars by scientists and diving greats, exploration dives and snorkeling with the experts, eco-adventures such as paddle boarding, kayaking, and glass-bottom boat tours, and evening social gatherings. For more information and registration, visit the REEF web site.