We are extremely proud and honored to announce that one of REEF’s Executive Directors, Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens, was recently named to the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Christy is a marine biologist whose work at REEF intersects ocean citizen science, education, and conservation. She first worked with REEF as an intern in 1993 and then joined the REEF staff in 1998. Christy oversees all aspects of REEF’s Volunteer Fish Survey Project, one of the longest-running and largest marine life sightings programs, engaging volunteer divers and snorkelers all over the world.
As lead scientists for REEF’s Grouper Moon Project, Christy and her husband Brice were named Sea Heroes by Scuba Diving magazine in 2019 for their work on studying and protecting spawning aggregations of the endangered Nassau Grouper. She also serves as a Visiting Scholar at at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. As a mother of three certified divers, Christy has always strived to bring her family on her adventures in the field whenever possible.
Christy and the five other Class of 2021 members join 253 others, hailing from 30 U.S. states and territories and 22 countries, including REEF’s own Board Chair, Anna DeLoach. The Women Divers Hall of Fame was founded in 2000. Its mission is to recognize the contributions of outstanding women divers and to offer financial assistance and mentorship to individuals interested in pursuing diving careers. To find out more, visit http://www.wdhof.org. Congratulations, Christy!