Gear Built for the Reef's Hardest Job
Lionfish Zookeeper makes the containment gear divers use to pull invasive lionfish off the reef — and to haul out plastic, fishing line, and debris while they are down there. We partner with them because that is Save the Seas work, in a product. Add yours to your Buddy gear profile and tell other divers how it performs.
Lionfish Zookeeper is a Florida-based dive gear company that designs spear-and-containment systems for invasive lionfish removal and reef clean-ups.
Based in Sunrise, Florida, Lionfish Zookeeper has become a fixture in the conservation dive community across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Their annual Winter Throw Down tournament — running October through December across Florida — removed over 6,000 invasive lionfish from local reefs in the 2024 season alone.
The same containment system that holds a tournament's catch is engineered for general reef and ocean clean-ups: beach clean-ups, boat deck clean-ups, and dock work. Buddy and Lionfish Zookeeper teamed up on a limited-edition Buddy Explorer collaboration that documented both uses — invasive species removal and underwater clean-up — through dive logs published in the Buddy app.
SAME KIT, TWO MISSIONS
One containment system.
Two missions worth diving for.
One containment system, engineered for two jobs on the same dive. That double duty is the whole conservation argument — and the reason we back Lionfish Zookeeper.
MISSION ONE
Invasive lionfish removal
Lionfish have no natural predators across the Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean. The containment system holds your catch securely so you can keep hunting the same dive — and every removal gets logged, counted, and mapped in Buddy.
MISSION TWO
Reef and ocean clean-ups
The same tube that carries lionfish carries plastic, monofilament, and debris off the reef. Same kit, same dive, second mission — no extra gear, no second trip.
WHAT DIVERS SAY
What do divers say about the Lionfish Zookeeper?
5
Lionfish, Lobsters, Litter… Oh my! Collecting them is a breeze with the Zookeeper!
Fully Submerged
IDC Staff Instructor
5
The Zookeeper has been a game-changer! Originally designed for safely containing invasive lionfish, it works perfectly as a marine debris collection device, making it easy to remove trash while diving.
Olga Piquette
Open Water Scuba Instructor
5
Love this thing!
Christian Stockwell
Open Water Scuba Instructor
Reviewed by Buddy Explorers
Buddy Explorers reviewed the Lionfish Zookeeper containment system on real hunts and clean-ups. Add yours to your gear profile and post your own review.
Add your Lionfish Zookeeper to your Buddy gear profile and review it.
Lionfish Zookeeper containment systems come in three sizes and are used for two missions: invasive lionfish removal and reef/ocean clean-ups. Add your size to your Buddy gear profile, leave a review, and tag the gear in your Buddy dive log every time you take it out — your hunt and clean-up dives become part of the public dive community record on Buddy.
Lionfish Zookeeper Containment System
Add to your Buddy profile →ON BOOKWITHBUDDY
Find lionfish hunts near you.
Lionfish Hunt is becoming its own filter on BookWithBuddy. Any operator who tags an activity or trip with it lands on one results page — removal dives, hunts, and reef clean-ups, all bookable direct.
FOR DIVE OPERATORS AND GUIDES
Run lionfish hunts or reef clean-ups?
List them on Buddy.
List a lionfish hunt the same way every other operator lists on Buddy — as a single activity divers book and show up for, or as a trip run over a weekend or a full week, solo or as a package.
HOW A LISTING WORKS
01 Pick the format
A single dive divers book and turn up for, or a multi-day trip — weekend or week-long, solo spots or packages.
02 Divers book direct
Same booking and payment flow as every other trip on Buddy. Confirmed on the spot.
03 Add a waiver
Collect certification, experience, gear, and anything else you need from each diver after they book.
FOR ALL DIVERS
Download the Buddy dive log app.
FOR CONSERVATION DIVERS
Shop Lionfish Zookeeper gear.
For Water Operators
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