Scorpion Reef
Short flights from Miami or Houston connect to Mérida or Cancún. Transfer to the port of Progreso — about 30 minutes away. A four-hour offshore passage brings you to the Sea Shepherd vessel at Scorpion Reef.
with our crew coordinator.
Sea Shepherd Mission
Participants — Donors and Direct Action Crew members — join Sea Shepherd crews aboard the M/V Sharkwater or M/V Roger Payne while they conduct real conservation operations at sea.
Scorpion Reef is a remote marine sanctuary where sharks, sea turtles, and hundreds of fish and bird species depend on constant protection. Illegal fishing and poaching continue to threaten the ecosystem.
Reef
Join the front lines of ocean conservation. Travel offshore with Sea Shepherd crews as they defend Scorpion Reef — the largest coral reef system in the Gulf of Mexico.
See the mission.
Experience life at sea.
the Reef
Each day, Sea Shepherd crews patrol the protected waters of Arrecife Alacranes National Park alongside the Mexican Navy and environmental authorities. This work is part of a joint conservation effort to deter poachers and defend one of the most biodiverse reefs in the Gulf.
- ▶Drone surveillance patrols searching for illegal fishing vessels
- ▶Intercepting and inspecting boats inside protected zones
- ▶Removing ghost fishing gear damaging coral reefs
- ▶Monitoring wildlife and reef health with research divers
- ▶Documenting violations and supporting enforcement actions
- ▶Private staterooms with bathrooms
- ▶Fully plant based menu served aboard
- ▶Direct access to crew and mission briefings
- ▶Learn from Sea Shepherd captains, biologists, and crew
Your day begins as Sea Shepherd launches small patrol boats across the reef. Participants accompany crews as they:
Some days are quiet. Other days bring real enforcement — illegal catch seized, vessels detained. Either way, you witness how marine conservation actually happens on the water.
Scorpion Reef is protected only because people are out there defending it. Arrecife Alacranes is the largest coral reef system in the Gulf of Mexico — and one of the most biodiverse marine environments in the region.
