The numbers are in and 2009 has been the most successful Reef Check California survey season to date! With the help of hundreds of divers statewide, we collected critical information on the status of 61 reef sites while completing 75 surveys. We had some great highlights this year as well: sevengill sharks in San Diego, training and surveying with the Port of Los Angeles Police, and the most successful north coast camp out ever, just to name a few. It really was an inspired year with participation and support of the program continuing to grow in leaps and bounds.

In addition to all the new partnerships and accomplishments, our successes would not be possible without the support of our incredible group of citizen scientist divers. Since the start of the program in 2006, 354 individual divers have taken part in RCCA surveys. Each one of those divers has taken action to help improve marine management in California. We even have 16 divers who have just completed their fourth season of surveying! We are a more well known and respected community-based monitoring network and I look forward to another amazing year in 2010.