Conservation · Blue Rim 5™ · Reef Defense

CD the
Lion Hunter

One trident. Bahamas winters, Florida and Atlantic summers. An invasive species that has no business being here.

Why

Built to Impress One Standard.

People ask who this expedition is meant to impress. Not the sailing community. Not social media. Not institutions, sponsors, or strangers with opinions about what constitutes a worthy adventure. Three decades of work — on submarines, in boardrooms, on the water, and in the kind of places that reshape how a man sees the world — have produced a value set that doesn’t need external validation. The standard is internal. Always has been.

What that means in practice: the planning is meticulous, the preparation is relentless, and the execution is measured against one question — did we do this right? Not fast. Not impressively. Right. The sea is an honest judge and a poor audience. It doesn’t care about the narrative. It rewards preparation, punishes arrogance, and has no interest in anyone’s personal brand. That suits this expedition perfectly.

The highest loyalty here is to humanity itself — not to a tribe, a nation, a religion, a politics, or an ideology. The mission underneath every mile of this route is the advancement, protection, and survival of human civilization and the natural systems that sustain it. The lionfish is a direct threat to those systems. That’s why the trident goes in.

This is not performance. It is purpose — built from the inside out, over thirty years, and now pointed at the water by two.

The Most Destructive Fish on the Reef — and What One Diver Can Do About It

The lionfish (Pterois volitans) is native to the Indo-Pacific. It has no business being in the Atlantic. It arrived here — almost certainly through home aquariums dumped into Florida waters — and has since spread from the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil with zero natural predators to check its growth.

A single lionfish can reduce the juvenile reef fish population of a coral head by up to 79% within five weeks. It eats constantly, breeds year-round, and is completely unafraid of divers — which makes it uniquely vulnerable to the one intervention that works: a trident, a steady approach, and a clean shot.

Removing them by hand is one of the very few direct actions an individual diver can take that immediately and measurably benefits reef health. CD carries a trident across Blue Rim 5™ — Bahamas winters and Florida and Atlantic summers — and hunts wherever local law permits. In the Bahamas, that means freediving with a Hawaiian sling or pole spear; scuba and hookah stay aboard.

2
Seasons a year
6+
Months each Bahamas winter
79%
Reef fish lost in 5 weeks
Lionfish on reef
Lionfish spines Catamaran Dan, CD the Lion Hunter
Blue Rim 5™ · Live Conservation Record
The Lionfish Scoreboard
Pterois volitans — confirmed kills by CD the Lion Hunter
Hunter
Catamaran Dan
// CD the Lion Hunter
USN NUCLEAR SUBMARINER
VESSEL: SHAMROCKET · BLUE RIM 5™ 2027+
WEAPON: TRIDENT · THEATRE: THE BAHAMAS / FLORIDA & ATLANTIC COAST
Confirmed Kills
6
lionfish
Kill tally — one mark per fish

Hunting Regulations by Region

Blue Rim 5™ — The Bahamas & U.S. Coast
RegionStatusKey Conditions & Notes
🇧🇸 The Bahamas⚠ RestrictedForeign-vessel fishing permit obtained when clearing in at a port of entry; spearing only with a Hawaiian sling or pole spear when authorized on the permit; spearguns prohibited; no scuba or compressed air of any kind (including hookah) — freedive only; no spearfishing within 200 yards of Family Island shores or within 1 mile of New Providence and the south coast of Grand Bahama; nothing may be taken in national parks such as the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
🇺🇸 Florida & the Keys✓ LegalNo recreational license needed with a pole spear, Hawaiian sling, handheld net, or lionfish-specific spearing device; no bag limit; lionfish removal encouraged in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary under standard gear rules; Sanctuary Preservation Areas are no-take except by sanctuary permit after training
🇺🇸 Dry Tortugas & Everglades NPs✗ ProhibitedNo fishing or harvest of any kind, lionfish included — also applies in all Florida state parks and within 300 feet of public swimming beaches, fishing piers, and fishing bridges
🇺🇸 Georgia⚠ VerifyGeorgia saltwater license; all spearfishing gear is prohibited in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary; confirm current lionfish rules with Georgia DNR before hunting elsewhere
🇺🇸 South Carolina⚠ VerifySouth Carolina saltwater license; confirm current spearfishing and lionfish rules with SCDNR before hunting
🇺🇸 North Carolina✓ LegalCoastal Recreational Fishing License required to spear; lionfish are found on offshore wrecks and ledges, including the Graveyard of the Atlantic
✓ Legal — Hunt freely with local license / standard permit
⚠ Restricted — Legal with specific course, license, or gear constraint
✗ Restricted — Prohibited or unconfirmed — verify before deploying trident

Regulations change. This table reflects best available information as of October 2026. Always verify with local fisheries authorities before hunting in any jurisdiction. When in doubt, the trident stays aboard — there's always another reef where the hunt is welcome.

Nevado Ranch Camp LLC · catamarandan.org