The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Blacks in Marine Science (BIMS) Immersion programme in South Eleuthera offered free SCUBA diving certification courses to eight participants.

The Cape Eleuthera Institute and Perry Institute for Marine Science hosted and supported BIMS and the Nature Conservancy as they teamed up to host BIMS first international Immersion Program.

Dr Tiara Moore, BIMS founder and CEO, said the organisation aims to change the perception of of scientists and provide support to communities that do not have access to ocean literacy programs.

She said “Blacks in Marine Science is a nonprofit organisation that really tries to celebrate black marine scientists and inspire the next generation of scientists. A lot of the programmes that we do aim to increase ocean literacy in the most impacted communities, they tend to be black communities by providing opportunities, access to education, access to programmes like our BIMS immersion programme. So really, so we can really change the face of who people see as scientists, but also really provide that skill set that isn’t often given to our communities.”

Dr Moore said damage to our coral reefs due to climate change can impact the country’s tourism product and programs such as the immersion program empower locals to mitigate those changes and inform the wider community of the dangers of climate change.

She said: “We have climate change happening and we see it impacting coral reefs, it also impacts economies, especially predominantly black communities, islands like The Bahamas. Tourism is a huge part of the economy, and because reefs are bringing in a lot of that tourism if people aren’t able to enjoy that on their vacation they’re wanting to move on. And that’s going to be a loss in the economy. So we really want the people who live here to really have that skill set to be able to mitigate these climate changes and to be able to talk with different folks in the community about what is going on.”

Charissa Taylor, a student at Kingsway Academy, said that becoming SCUBA certified was a “dream come true”. She said the costs associated with certification can deter many young people and the opportunity to participate in such a programme is historic.

She said: “I’m starting to pursue a future in marine biology and to be able to get scuba certified was just really a dream come true for me because in terms of like the pricing over here, it’s so expensive. I’ve always wanted to but I just never got the opportunity to do so. And then this whole programme came about and I got that golden ticket to become SCUBA certified.

“We’re a part of history in the making, changing the script and showing other people that black scientists and black marine scientists can excel as well.”

Charissa added: “I’m graduating next week and going to university in the fall. I actually got a full scholarship. So thank God for that. After my four years of college, I want to work in a large, impactful company like National Geographic or the Nature Conservancy. I want to eventually come back in Bahamas, especially in the marine world because brain drain is a real problem and I want to just help my country.”

Jannelle Wilson, a marine scientist, also participated in the immersion programme as a part of her transition from teaching to working in marine science full time.

She said: “It was great to see that there is an organisation specifically for black people in marine science, because that is not a well represented group, especially seeing so many black women in marine science. The CEO and founder [of BIMS] being a well-established, black, powerful marine science female was inspiring to me.

She added: “I think if the Bahamian populace at large just was more considerate and aware about littering and how that affects the country. We have water surrounding us, and it’s very easy for things to just flow and reach the ocean.”