Derby Rules

All participants must be certified scuba divers and over the age of 18. Participants under the age of 18 must have parental or guardian consent and be accompanied by an adult.
Each team must consist of two divers. Both team members must be registered to participate in the event.

All participants must pre-register for the event. Registration includes a spot on one of the designated dive boats for a two-tank dive.
Participants must provide their own dive gear. If gear rental is required, participants must arrange it directly with the dive shop.

All participants must follow safe diving practices and comply with local diving laws and regulations.
Participants must follow all instructions from dive boat captains and safety officers.
Each diver must have and use a dive knife, lionfish containment device, and collection gear.
It is the responsibility of each diver to monitor their own air supply, depth, and dive time to avoid decompression illness or any other dive-related risks.

All lionfish must be captured using hand nets, spears, or pole spears. The use of chemicals, traps, or other non-permitted gear is strictly prohibited.
Lionfish should be handled with care due to their venomous spines. Participants are encouraged to wear protective gloves and follow best practices for safely removing lionfish from the water.
Coolers must be properly labelled with captain or team names and must contain enough ice to keep lionfish cold for as long as they are held at drop-off station.

All lionfish must be presented at the official weigh-in station by the designated time. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Lionfish must be intact for weigh-in. Any mutilated or damaged lionfish (determined at the discretion of event staff) will be disqualified.
Each team will present their catch for three prize categories: Most Lionfish, Largest Lionfish, and Smallest Lionfish.

Most Lionfish: $250 cash prize (awarded to the team with the highest number of lionfish collected).
Largest Lionfish: $250 cash prize (awarded to the team with the largest lionfish by length).
Smallest Lionfish: $150 cash prize (awarded to the team with the smallest lionfish by length).

Teams will be disqualified for:

Failure to follow safety guidelines and dive protocols.
Using non-approved lionfish capture methods or gear.
Falsifying weigh-in results or attempting to weigh in lionfish caught outside of the challenge timeframe. No previously caught lionfish are allowed.
Engaging in unsafe or unsportsmanlike conduct during the event.

Participants are encouraged to minimize their environmental impact. Do not damage coral reefs or other marine life during the capture of lionfish.
All lionfish removed from the water are to be either consumed or disposed of according to local environmental guidelines. No lionfish should be released back into the ocean.

Only one winning entry per team will be allowed in each category. A single team is not allowed to win multiple categories.
In the event of a tie for any category the prize money will be split between teams, unless one of these teams has won a different category, in which case the team winning a different category will be awarded that prize.
Judging will be conducted at the official weigh-in station, and decisions by the judges are final.
Awards will be given at the end of the weigh-in session. Participants must be present to receive their awards.

In the case of severe weather, the Event Organizers reserve the right to postpone, reschedule, or cancel the event for safety reasons. Participants will be notified of any changes.

Have fun, stay safe, and contribute to the removal of this invasive species!
Always follow local regulations and guidelines related to scuba diving, boating and lionfish capture.
Always respect and honor the captains of the dive boats.

Apex Predator Challenge