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Sea Shepherd at Scorpion Reef
50 Years in the Making.

In Summer 2027, as Sea Shepherd marks 50 years on the front lines of marine conservation, a select group of core supporters will join the active conservation mission at Scorpion Reef.

For five days, you will live alongside the crew, stand watch, accompany patrols and take part in the work to defend, conserve and protect the Gulf of Mexico’s most important marine ecosystem.

The Next Watch Is Yours.
I would like to apply to be an associate crew member at scorpion reef 2027
Sea Shepherd vessel at Scorpion Reef
Join the Front Line
Scorpion Reef 2027
Scorpion ReefOrientation
Illustrated map of Scorpion Reef and its marine habitat
Scorpion Reef
Located 70 miles north of Progreso, on the Yucatán Peninsula, Scorpion Reef rises from the Gulf of Mexico as one of its most important marine ecosystems.
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Defending the Reef Scorpion Reef
Sharkwater and Roger Payne on open water at Scorpion Reef
Defending the Reef
At Scorpion Reef, Sea Shepherd maintains crews, vessels and constant surveillance, working with the Mexican military and park rangers to stop illegal fishing and defend the marine life that depends on this vital habitat.
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6,300
Square miles
The remote waters of Scorpion Reef and Bajos del Norte provide critical habitat for numerous species of fish including grouper and snapper in addition to conch, lobster, sea turtles and seabirds. The very abundance of life makes these waters extraordinary and makes them a prime target for illegal fishing.
You are invited to spend five days, living alongside Sea Shepherd’s crew, standing watch, accompanying patrols and experiencing firsthand how sustained vigilance defends these waters.
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Protection Depends on Presence Surveillance
Sea Shepherd crew on night watch, a single vessel light on the horizon
Protection Depends
on Presence
Poachers rely on an empty horizon, on being unseen and undetected. The Sharkwater, Roger Payne and Roger Payne II, supported by fast patrol boats, maintain a sustained presence across 40 miles of reef, stopping illegal activity before it begins.
Surveillance
No single vessel can watch 6,300 square miles alone. Sea Shepherd’s fleet, equipped with cutting-edge technology including drones, radar and satellite tracking, maintains surveillance across the reef, identifies activity and directs patrols where they are needed.
A drone in flight over Isla Pérez
Drones
Extend our identification of vessels for miles, day or night with long lens capacity and thermal capability.
Crew servicing the radar at the masthead
Radar
Detects and tracks vessel movement across the reef, directing patrols toward suspicious activity.
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Night watch at Scorpion Reef.
A crew member on watch with binoculars
Visual
Crew stand watch around the clock, observing and tracking vessel movement across the water.
A thermal drone image locked on a panga at night
Satellite
Tracks movement across the mission zone and informs decisions on where operations should concentrate.
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Patrols Patrols
A Sea Shepherd crew member at the helm of a patrol boat at Scorpion Reef
A Sea Shepherd crew member on patrol at Scorpion Reef.
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Sea Shepherd fast boat crew underway at Scorpion Reef
Patrols
When radar, drones or crews identify vessel activity, fast boats move to intercept. Patrol teams close the distance. The Mexican Navy and rangers document what is happening and respond to activity on the water.
As an Associate Crew Member, you accompany small-boat patrols and experience firsthand how surveillance becomes action on the water.
Fast boat crew underway at Scorpion Reef.
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Inspections + Interdictions Inspections + Interdictions
A Mexican Navy panga alongside a fishing vessel during an inspection at Scorpion Reef
Mexican Navy personnel inspect a fishing vessel.
Inspections +
Interdictions
Surveillance detects suspicious movement and activity. Patrols intercept. Sea Shepherd crews document evidence, while the Mexican Navy and park rangers carry out inspections and enforcement.
You’ll witness how the mission moves from detection to response and how coordinated action helps defend Scorpion Reef.
Mexican Navy personnel aboard a panga during an interdiction
Mexican Navy personnel board a panga. Sea Shepherd crew document the evidence.
Queen conch, fins, weight belts and a dive regulator laid out on the deck of a panga
Queen conch and dive gear found aboard the panga.
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Confiscated fish laid out on the deck of the Sharkwater
Confiscated catch on the deck of the Sharkwater.
A Sea Shepherd crew member in a small boat watches a Mexican Navy boarding team
Sea Shepherd crew alongside a Mexican Navy boarding team.
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The Living Reef Protecting Life Ashore
A curved sand island at Scorpion Reef from the air, with a vessel at anchor
The Living Reef
Five remote islands rise from a vast reef system few people ever see. Your time aboard Sea Shepherd’s vessels takes you ashore and below the surface of this extraordinary world.
Sea turtle hatchlings gathered in a crate during nest monitoring
Protecting
Life Ashore
Several species of sea turtles nest on these beaches, while tens of thousands of seabirds depend on the islands to breed. Field teams record nesting activity and wildlife populations, clear debris and assess human impact on these fragile habitats.
Step ashore with the field teams to discover the delicate balance of life on these islands and the importance of protecting the habitats that sustain it.
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A male frigatebird with its red throat pouch
A booby chick in the island scrub
An adult masked booby
The reef’s next generation begins on these beaches. Sea Shepherd’s protection here is essential.
Dr. Diana Reiss
Director, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Proof: placeholder attribution. Use Dr. Reiss’s own words, or get her sign-off on this line, before print.
Sea turtle hatchlings during nest monitoring at Scorpion Reef.
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Image Centerfold Image Centerfold
Sea fans and sea rods in the sun rays off Isla Pérez
Science Below the Surface Scorpion Reef
A shark swims above a diver on the reef slope at Scorpion Reef
A shark swims above a diver at Scorpion Reef.
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A school of reef fish over sea rods and coral
Reef fish over the coral.
Science Below
the Surface
Crew and scientists monitor reef health, assess coral bleaching and anchor damage, collect data on queen conch, lobster and reef fish, and track invasive lionfish.
You will be invited to join scientists to snorkel the reef, observe marine life, record reef conditions and contribute to the science behind the mission.
Brain coral and butterflyfish on the reef
Brain coral on the reef.
A spiny lobster in its den on the reef
A spiny lobster in its den.
An invasive lionfish on the reef
An invasive lionfish.
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Wildlife Scorpion Reef
A loggerhead sea turtle swimming over the reef
Wildlife
A loggerhead sea turtle at Scorpion Reef.
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A southern stingray gliding over the reef at Scorpion Reef
A southern stingray over the reef.
Sea Shepherd scientists, along with Mexican Government scientists, record the health of the reef and track where species gather and reproduce, and how the reef is changing and where protection matters most.
You are invited to join the crew, to record species, track activity and connect what you see to the wider condition of Scorpion Reef.
A green moray in a crevice in the reef
A green moray in the reef.
A hawksbill sea turtle among sea rods
A hawksbill sea turtle in the sea rods.
A nurse shark swimming along the reef
A nurse shark on the reef.
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Scorpion Reef Fleet Roger Payne I & II and North River I & II
Sharkwater under way, head on
Scorpion Reef Fleet
Five vessels. One coordinated mission. Sea Shepherd’s fleet maintains the presence, surveillance and mobility needed to defend Scorpion Reef across more than 6,300 square miles of protected waters.
You’ll experience how each vessel’s distinct role extends Sea Shepherd’s reach and protection.
M/V Sharkwater
The operational heart of the campaign, supporting crew, equipment, surveillance and mission planning across the fleet.
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A Roger Payne trimaran on the reef
Roger Payne I & II
Named in honor of biologist Roger Payne, whose groundbreaking work revealed the songs of humpback whales, these diesel-electric powered trimarans reduce our environmental footprint while maintaining a presence across shallow waters. Supporting drone surveillance and patrol operations, they also become your home at sea as an Associate Crew Member.
A Roger Payne trimaran from the air
A North River fast boat under way
North River I & II
Fast, versatile patrol boats that carry crews across the reef for surveillance, fieldwork and coordinated response.
Meet the Fleet
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Aboard the Fleet · Sharkwater Roger Payne I and II
The open sea at dusk
M/V Sharkwater
Sharkwater profile drawing
Profile
Sharkwater main deck plan
Main Deck
The lounge, with a long sofa under the portholes
A briefing in the Sharkwater lounge
The lounge aboard Sharkwater.
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Roger Payne I
Roger Payne II
Roger Payne I main deck plan
Main Deck
Roger Payne I lower deck plan
Lower Deck
Roger Payne II main deck plan
Main Deck
Roger Payne II lower deck plan
Lower Deck
A double cabin
A cabin with a double berth and a bunk above
Cabins aboard Roger Payne I.
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Sea Shepherd Crew Sofia and Melannie
A crew member watching Sharkwater from a small boat
Sea Shepherd
Crew
The dedicated people aboard our vessels run the mission and protect Scorpion Reef every day. They navigate the operation zone, launch drones, conduct surveillance, lead patrols, carry out fieldwork and stop illegal fishing.
For five days, you share in their daily rhythm and become part of the work.
David Hance at sea at sunset
Campaign Director
David Hance
Connects vessels, crew and conservation priorities across the campaign.
Captain Mayo aboard, at sea
Captain / Master
Captain Mayo
Oversees navigation, weather and safe operations across the fleet.
Paul Talavera aboard, smiling
Science Officer
Paul Talavera
Links field observations to the reef’s species and habitats.
Sea Shepherd crew on the bow of Sharkwater
You arrive as a supporter. You step aboard as Associate Crew.
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Drone pilot Melannie Lizarraga launching a drone from the deck of Sharkwater
Drone Pilot
Melannie Lizarraga
Flies long-range and thermal drone patrols, putting suspect vessels on record day or night.
Melannie, our drone pilot, and Sofia, our media lead, are the tip of the spear.
The evidence they collect, from the air and on the water, holds poachers irrefutably accountable.
Sofia Castillo filming a Mexican Navy inspection of a fishing boat
Sofia Castillo with her camera
Media Lead
Sofia Castillo
Films every patrol and inspection, building the record behind each case.
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Five Days on Mission Join the Mission
A fast boat under way at Scorpion Reef
Five Days on Mission
Day0
Fly In
Arrive in Mérida.
Day1
To the Reef + On the Reef
Transfer to Progreso Naval Station, voyage to the reef, join the crew aboard the Sharkwater and begin your mission.
Day2
Drones + Patrols + Science
Begin the day with drone launching and patrols, then snorkel with scientists and park rangers over the reef.
Day3
Fieldwork + Wildlife
Early morning drone ops & patrols, island fieldwork, snorkeling and wildlife observation.
Day4
A Full Mission Day
Begin the day with drone ops, patrols, reef monitoring and beach turtle patrols, all set by current priorities.
Day5
End of Mission
Begin the day with drone ops, final debriefing, and voyage back to Progreso Naval Station and on to Mérida.
Weather, safety and mission priorities shape each day.
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Select Weeks May–September 2027
Join the Mission
For five days, step aboard an active Sea Shepherd conservation mission as an Associate Crew Member and be part of the team defending, conserving and protecting Scorpion Reef.
I’m In
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