ST. Croix Lionfish Hunt FAQ

General FAQ

How often do you go out hunting lionfish?
  • CORE and SCUBA attempt to go out hunting lionfish twice a month, typically the second and last Saturday of the month. Schedules may vary depending on season, availability of the boat, and weather conditions.
  • Exact dates are typically announced via email distribution within the first week of the month, and events are regularly updated on our Lionfish Event Calendar.

How much does it cost?
  • Prices as of September 2022 are $35 per person, paid to the treasurer of CORE during the pre-departure meeting or before the day of the dive.
  • Tips to the captain and crew are also highly recommended; customarily a crisp $20 bill in cash.
  • CORE is working on accepting digital mobile payments at time of registration/RSVP, but that is still in the works. We will keep you updated once we have more information.
  • CORE also accepts additional funds as donations if you are feeling generous, need a taxable deduction, and/or want to support CORE’s missions. Here is a link to our Donation Page.

How am I able to pay?
  • CORE is working on a digital reservation system for our lionfish hunts, where you can view and  reserve your spot, have the option to prepay, purchase CORE merchandise, and purchase lionfish hunting gear.
  • All gear and merchandise purchases go directly to support the CORE foundation and our missions.

How long will it take?
  • Typically a full lionfish hunt will wrap up around 130pm. Plan for the hunt to take the entirety of your morning and the early part of your afternoon. Feel free to invite someone to lunch afterwards at any of the lovely Frederiksted restaurants. Our partner list can be found here.
  • The dive plan is a 2 tank drift dive with a one hour surface interval. Factor in boat travel time as well and the outing almost always takes up the full morning and into early afternoon.

How old do I have to be?
  • CORE’s minimum age to become a certified lionfish hunter is 13 years old.
  • In order to hunt in VI National Park Waters, the US Department of the Interior requires Lionfish Hunters to be 18 years old.

What time does everyone meet up?
  • The official meet time is scheduled for 8:30am, but as with many things on St. Croix, time is as fluid as the ocean.
  • We do our best to remain in good spirits, so if someone is running a little late, we won’t be stressed out to hang around for a little longer, cracking jokes, and enjoying the warm sunrise with good company. Feel free to grab one more iced coffee at Polly’s or shop around for some new gear at SCUBA.
  • If you are running a little late, please communicate with the dive coordinator of your situation, so they know to expect an extended check in time.

Where does everyone meet up before going out on the boat?
  • Before departure, the group meets at the pier, on the north side near the dingy dock. If you need to sign a waiver at the shop, please drop your gear off at the pier first and then head to SCUBA, the dive shop on Strand Street in Frederiksted. The shop is located right on the waterfront, in between Cane Bay Dive Shop and Polly’s at the Pier.

Do I need any additional certifications?
  • In addition to having your Open Water Scuba Diver Certification, you will be required to attend and complete a CORE sponsored Community Lionfish Response Program (CLRP) course to receive your Lionfish Responder Identification Card.
  • The cost of the CLRP Training is $30 for a lifetime certification. This includes your iconic red CORE lionfish hunter sun shirt, to be worn each time you go out on a lionfish hunt! Additionally, for an optional extra $20, CORE will print and laminate an official Lionfish Responder Identification Card that you can use at other sanctioned lionfish hunting events not sponsored by CORE.
  • This additional certification is required for lionfish hunts organized by CORE and SCUBA. 
  • All of CORE + SCUBA Lionfish Hunts are drift dives, meaning that the entry and pick up points are not the same. If you desire additional training and information about drift dives, the PADI Drift Dive Specialty Certification is recommended but not required. This training can be completed easily with our partner SCUBA or other dive shops. Contact them for more information regarding the completion of this course.

How do I receive my Lionfish Hunter Certification through a CLRP Course?
  • CORE hosts multiple Community Lionfish Response Program (CLRP) course throughout the year on St. Croix and on St John. Please check the events calendar for the next upcoming CLRP course, or email [email protected].
  • The course is around 90 minutes and costs $30 dollars for a lifetime certification. This includes your iconic red CORE lionfish hunter sun shirt.
  • We will issue you your digital Lionfish Responder Identification Card.
  • Additionally, for an optional extra $20, CORE will print and laminate an official Lionfish Responder Identification Card that you can use at other sanctioned lionfish hunting events not sponsored by CORE.
  • Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the most up to date information regarding upcoming CLRP Courses. Additionally, check back on our Lionfish Events Calendar to event details and to RSVP.

Do I need Dive Insurance?
  • CORE highly recommends but does not require DAN dive insurance.
  • More information about dive insurance can be found on our Dive Insurance Page and at DAN's website here.

Can I hunt lionfish that are in VI National Park waters?
  • You are not allowed to hunt lionfish at:
    • Buck Island National Monument in St. Croix.
    • Marine Protected Areas such as East End Marine Park or Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve in St. Croix.
 
Pre Departure Checklist FAQ

What do I need to do if it is my first time hunting lionfish with CORE and SCUBA?
  • Congratulations, you’ve successfully received your Lionfish Responder Identification Card, and you’re ready to start hunting lionfish. CORE and SCUBA have partnered up to bring you the easiest and most cost effective way to dive for the purpose of removing lionfish.
  • First, make sure your gear is in working order and has been serviced within the last year. While most of the gear is similar to your regular recreational scuba dives, there are a few extra pieces that we require to dive with us.
    • Ensure your first stage, second stage, and hoses are in good working condition.
    • Ensure your BCD is in good working condition
    • Ensure your mask and fin straps are in good working condition
    • Ensure your wetsuit or dive clothes are in good working condition
    • Ensure your Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) and reel of line is in good working condition
    • Ensure your spear has adequate spear tip protection (pool noodle, pvc cap, etc)
    • Ensure your spear sling is not dry rotting and is in good working condition
    • Ensure your computer is in good working condition
    • Ensure your compass is in good working condition
    • Ensure your pressure and depth console is in good working condition
  • Next, after your gear is sorted, when you arrive at the meet up point, ensure you have signed the waiver with SCUBA, the dive shop before your first dive. Provide proof of your dive certification and your Dive Accident Insurance at this time.
  • Then, make sure you have checked in with the dive coordinator, and ensure that you have paid for the dive. You can either include your tip to the captain and crew here, or you can wait to pay them cash after the dive.
  • Ensure you have a good attitude and are ready to have some fun with a good group of people. We like to maintain a positive supportive environment during the dives, and we look forward to having you aboard soon!

What do I need to do if I’ve already been out hunting with CORE and SCUBA?
  • Congratulations on a successful first dive, and we’re happy you’re back for more!
  • Once you’ve signed the waiver with SCUBA and CORE during your first dive, you no longer need to sign the waiver for each subsequent dive.
  • For each dive, ensure you have the proper gear from above in working order, and have paid for each dive ahead of time. Please follow the recommended gear maintenance schedules to ensure all gear is safe to use and will remain in good working order for each dive.
  • Now you can have fun tracking sizes, counts, total number of dives, total fish speared, and more. Feel free to make friendly wagers with your compatriots to see who will be the most prolific hunter during the dive. Just remember that safety still remains the absolute top priority during every dive. No fish big or small is worth it if it puts you or your dive buddy in a dangerous situation.
 
Lionfish FAQ

Can I take anything other than Lionfish?
  • No. During Lionfish dives, we are to only spear and retrieve lionfish.
  • If you do find the bits of trash and have a mesh bag with you, feel free to retrieve those.

Is there a minimum/maximum size of Lionfish I can take?
  • There are no size limits when hunting for lionfish. You can spear any lionfish regardless of size.

Are Lionfish edible?
  • Short answer, usually.
  • Long answer, it depends. Ciguatoxins are present in many reef fish in varying levels of concentrations. Lionfish are no exception, and according to a few different studies, the generally accepted public opinion is that lionfish have a low risk of ciguatoxin poisoning when consumed from St. Croix, whereas the risks are higher and potentially unsafe for consumption if removed from coastal waters near St. Thomas or St. John.
  • The members of CORE in St. Croix consume lionfish in a variety of different ways, both cooked and raw, sprinkled in with the rest of their varied and balanced diet. There have been no recorded cases of ciguatoxin poisoning within CORE.
  • Additional reading can be found here, here, and here.

Can I take my catch home?
  • Yes! We encourage you to take home your catch if you are interested in learning the safe methods of processing lionfish.
  • Please bring your own small cooler with your name clearly marked if you would like to bring home your catch.
  • We are currently working on an instruction course to clearly demonstrate the proper methods of cleaning lionfish, while also taking the correct precautions to avoid the venomous spines.
  • Once cleaned, feel free to check out the Lionfish Cookbook for inspiration on how to cook up your catch into a delicious meal.

What is the smallest Lionfish that has been removed in the VI?
  • The smallest lionfish removed from VI waters was 1-1/8in, or 28.57mm, weighing xxx grams.

What is the largest Lionfish that has been removed in the VI?
  • The largest lionfish removed from VI waters was 17 1.2in, or 445.5mm, weighing xxx grams.
 
 
Gear FAQ

What gear do I need?
  • Mandatory Gear
    • Regulator (First stage, second stage, hoses, and either an octopus backup regulator, or an integrated SS1 (or equivalent) on your BCD, console with depth and pressure gauge. (Please ensure gear is serviced at appropriate regular intervals)
    • BCD
    • Compass
    • Dive Computer
    • Fins
    • Mask
    • Sling Spear with minimum tri-tip
    • Spear tip protector
    • Surface Marker Buoy (SMB)
    • Reel of line for the SMB
    • Carabiners to clip things to your BCD
  • Optional Gear
    • Gloves
    • Wetsuit
    • Dive Knife
    • Zookeeper (one per dive pair, can be borrowed from CORE)
    • Small mesh bag
    • Underwater camera (goPro or other camera setup)
    • Underwater slate
    • Snacks for the surface interval

What does the boat provide?
  • Weights
  • Tanks
  • Defog
  • After Dive Beer (for those of age)
  • Fresh drinking water

Does my spear need tip protection?
  • Absolutely. We like to spear lionfish, not humans. Please cover your tips with a piece of pool noodle or a PVC cap.

What is a Zookeeper?
  • A zookeeper is the name brand of a lionfish containment device in the shape of a long tube, with a one way valve that allows you to safely store speared lionfish during your dive.
  • You can purchase your own zookeeper from CORE which will allow you to continue your lionfish hunts safely during weekends when CORE and SCUBA are not hosting sponsored lionfish hunts.
  • Makeshift lionfish containment devices can be made from 3 gallon blue water jugs, and have shown to be quite useful and cost effective. There are some hydrodynamic tradeoffs since they are not as streamlined, but if on a budget, could be an effective substitute, and a fun crafts project.

Can I use my long spear gun?
  • No.
  • Due to the common single point tip design of most long form spear guns, these are not suitable to safely hunt lionfish. Even with a tri tip, these spear guns are typically too powerful and can damage the coral or sponge behind.

Can I use my short spear gun?
  • Absolutely. The short spear guns that have a tri tip and were designed specifically for hunting lionfish can be used on CORE and SCUBA sponsored lionfish dives.

Can I borrow gear from CORE?
  • Sure! Only Spears and Zookeepers though.
  • If you’re new and haven’t had the chance to acquire a sling spear or zookeeper, CORE has a few extras to get you going until you’ve had the chance to purchase your own. Unfortunately, CORE is unable to lend out dive critical gear, but the nice part about working with SCUBA, is that they do!
  • Let us know ahead of time and we can coordinate with the dive shop to get you set up with some rental gear for your lionfish dive. The rental gear will come with a small fee, but all prices are quite reasonable

Can I buy gear from CORE?
  • Absolutely! We are a licensed retailer for all Zookeeper Products. Send us an email and we will be able to get you all of your lionfish hunting gear at the best price.
  • At the moment we are focusing on keeping the Virgin Islands communities stocked with pole spears, tips, slings, zookeepers, and all lionfish related items.
  • If you’re looking for dive gear, please contact SCUBA and they will be happy to run you through their full range of dive gear. If you mention its for CORE lionfish dives, they will honor 10 percent off any BCD, Regulator, Wetsuit, Mask, or Fin Purchase.

Do you have merchandise?
  • At the moment, no, but there's a diabolical plan in the works to create some awesome merch in the future. Stay tuned for more information. If you have any ideas of merchandise you would like to see, please submit ideas to [email protected].

What happens if I lose any borrowed CORE gear?
  • CORE gear is important to us. It allows us to continue working towards a healthier reef ecosystem by culling lionfish populations on a continual basis. Without this gear, it becomes much more difficult for us to achieve our goals. We would appreciate it if any borrowed gear is treated with the same respect as if it was your own.
  • If any borrowed CORE gear is lost during a dive, we politely ask that you replace it at your own cost.
  • If borrowed gear breaks in a way that is consistent with normal wear and tear (a sling breaks due to rubber rot, a funnel breaks on a zoo keeper, etc.) there will be no expectation of replacement.
  • If borrowed gear breaks in a way not consistent with normal wear and tear, and is due to severe negligence, then CORE would ask for you to replace any gear that suffered irreparable damage.
 
Dive Logistics FAQ

Is this a drift dive or an out and back dive?
  • All dives conduced between CORE and SCUBA will be drift dives. The reasoning behind this is to allow our lionfish hunters to cover as much area as possible without spending half the dive hunting the same grounds. There is a PADI Drift Dive Certification available through our partner SCUBA, as well as other dive shops. This course will provide additional details and training of how to safely and successfully execute a drift dive. 

What about other Boats/Jet-Skis in the area?
  • Since we dive on Saturdays, there is usually increased boat and jet ski traffic around the dive sites. General precautions will always be taken by the Captain and Crew (dive flag, radio messages, and if need be, telling nearby craft they need to leave the area). We cannot guarantee though that there will never be a violation of the space around the dive boat.
  • This is why SMB’s are required equipment on CORE + SCUBA sponsored lionfish hunting dives.
  • The ability to successfully deploy a SMB safely is paramount to your safety near the surface.
  • It notifies nearby watercraft of your presence during your safety stop. It also allows the Captain of the SCUBA boat to be aware of your presence for pick up.
  • SMB's will be deployed at the beginning of the safety stop and maintained throughout the duration. If you require additional training in that skill, CORE will be happy to assist with training and practice sessions to improve your SMB deployment skills.

Do I need to be Scuba Certified to hunt lionfish with CORE on Scuba Dos?
  • Absolutely. At minimum you need to be open water certified, and it is recommended that you gain your advanced certification for depths down to 120ft. Many of our dive sites for lionfish are deeper than 60ft, so in order to access those sites and get the most our of your hunts, the extra depth will help tremendously.

What is Scuba Dos?
  • Scuba Dos is the dive shop SCUBA’s boat that primarily serves the west end dive sites. She has capacity for up to ten divers, two tanks each. Additionally, creature comforts such as plenty of shade, gear storage, and comfy padded seating are a nice bonus to keep you comfortable during transit and surface intervals.

How long is each individual dive?
  • 45 minutes maximum. We place a hard cap on our dives at 45 minutes regardless of amount of air left. Please leave room for your safety stop and slow ascent, so once your watch starts reading 40-41 minutes, please signal to your dive buddy that it is time to wrap things up and start ascending.

Can I go into decompression?
  • No. All of the dives sponsored by CORE + SCUBA are no decompression dives. Please keep a close eye on your dissolved nitrogen levels on your dive computer to ensure you do not get into decompression.