2025 St. Croix Lionfish Derby FAQ/Event Info
May 16th - 17th, 2025
Rescheduled to May 23rd and 24th, 2025 due to Weather
Awards Ceremony will be held after the hunt at Salt River Marina
What has changed from last year's derby?
What has stayed the same?
What are the prizes?
Most Lionfish:
Smallest Lionfish:
When is the Derby?
When is the Captain's Meeting?
Where is the Captain's Meeting?
Is the Captain's Meeting mandatory?
Do I need to register?
How do I register?
What is the cost?
Do I need to sign a waiver?
How can I pay my registration fee?
What are the rules?
Can I keep my catch?
Where is the weigh station?
When do the weigh stations close?
What if I want to free dive?
How do I know if I am in a protected area?
Can we have a Boat Captain / Surface Support that stays topside the entire derby and does not hunt?
Can we have other spectators on the boat?
Can I win first, second and third prize in a single category?
Does that mean I can win first in three categories?
What if I have more questions?
- The Captains Meeting is now taking place at a different location, Salt River Marina
- The awards ceremony will now take place on the Saturday after the hunt
- Weigh Stations have been consolidated to one location at Salt River Marina
- The recreational and commercial divisions have been eliminated, and everyone will compete for a combined prize pool
- More prize places are available, eg. 4th, 5th, 6th
What has stayed the same?
- Teams are still limited to a minimum of 2 and maximum of 6
- 32% and 36% Nitrox is still allowed
- Teams can choose to keep their catch after it has been weighed, recorded and finned
- Lionfish tastings at the Awards Ceremony are now included in the registration price
What are the prizes?
Most Lionfish:
- 1st place: $1500
- 2nd place: $1000
- 3rd place: $750
- 4th place: PADI Open Water Course, courtesy of St. Croix Ultimate Blue Water Adventures
- 5th place: PADI Open Water Course, courtesy of St. Croix Ultimate Blue Water Adventures
- 6th place: Zookeeper Package
- 7th place: Zookeeper Package
- 8th place: Dinner for 2 at the Buccaneer’s Mermaid Restaurant
- 9th place: 2 Tank Dive for Two aboard Reliance or Scuba DOS
- 10th place: 2 Tank Dive for Two aboard Reliance or Scuba DOS
Smallest Lionfish:
- $500
- $500
When is the Derby?
- Hunting takes place on Saturday May 24th, starting at 6am.
When is the Captain's Meeting?
- The Captain's Meeting will take place on Friday May 23rd at 6pm AST.
Where is the Captain's Meeting?
- NEW LOCATION ALERT: The captains meeting will now be held at Salt River Marina. Please contact Matthew at 340-208-0738 if you have any questions.
Is the Captain's Meeting mandatory?
- Yes, the designated team captain is required to attend. For other members of the team, the meeting is optional, but recommended to ensure all the paperwork is in order. If one member of your team does not sign a waiver, they will not be allowed to participate in the 2025 St. Croix Lionfish Derby.
- Saturday, May 24th after the weigh in is complete
Do I need to register?
How do I register?
- Use the registration form above, and complete the information to register your team.
- Ensure you have your team members names, a designated team captain, and all dive certification numbers handy.
What is the cost?
- $50 per person. Each person will receive a SPF 50 long sleeve sun shirt with their registration.
Do I need to sign a waiver?
- Yes. Each member of your team must complete a waiver, as well as any spectators that will be on the boat.
- Waivers can be filled out and submitted here.
How can I pay my registration fee?
- Credit Cards and Cash will be accepted at the Captain's Meeting on Friday.
- Venmo @CORE_Foundation | Please include your team name in the memo.
- Paypal: paypal.me/COREUSVI | Please include your team name in the memo.
What are the rules?
- Please review the rules page to familiarize yourself with the smaller details.
Can I keep my catch?
- Yes! After the event organizers have weighed and measured your catch, you are free to take it home in your own coolers. We will collect all of the data and ensure it is accounted to your team for prize awards.
- Fish that are donated to the event will be cleaned and donated to our food vendors who will cook up dishes to try for free during the award ceremony after the hunt.
Where is the weigh station?
- Salt River Marina
When do the weigh stations close?
- Weigh stations will close at 2pm. Please have your catch in before the cutoff.
What if I want to free dive?
- Free diving is allowed within the rules of the 2025 St. Croix Lionfish Derby. You will still be required to fill out a waiver and pay the $50 dollar non refundable registration fee.
How do I know if I am in a protected area?
- Use this map from ArcGIS to determine if you are in one of the EEMP's Protected Areas or No Take Zones.
- Use this map from the NPS to determine if you are in Buck Island National Reef Monument or Salt River National Historic Site and Ecological Preserve.
Can we have a Boat Captain / Surface Support that stays topside the entire derby and does not hunt?
- Yes, they will be considered a spectator of the event and will still need to register and sign a waiver. Please include their information during team registration.
Can we have other spectators on the boat?
- Yes, you may have additional spectators on the boat who are not participating in the hunt. They will required to complete the waiver.
Can I win first, second and third prize in a single category?
- No. Per the tournament rules, each team is eligible to enter one fish in the Smallest category, one fish into the Largest category, and their total catch number will be used to determine their place for the Most category. The two fish submitted to Largest and Smallest will be counted in the Most entry.
Does that mean I can win first in three categories?
- Yes! If you have the most, the largest, and the smallest fish, you will be taking home the prizes in those categories
What if I have more questions?
- Please email Matthew at [email protected] and he will be happy to assist you and your questions about the derby!