Travel With Purpose

to the Islands of The Bahamas

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Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs contain the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and are full of life, beauty, and nutrients for our oceans. They protect coastlines from the damaging effects of storms and waves, and are essential to ocean life. Unfortunately, thanks to pollution, climate change, overfishing, and poisoning, reefs are dying at alarming rates, suffering irreplaceable damage and often times, dying completely.

The Instructor - Katie Storr

Reef Rescue Diver Specialty Instructor and PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Katie Storr has taught scuba diving for over 7 years and has over 3000+ dives. She is a passionate conservationist and has assisted with the establishment and maintenance of Coral Nurseries throughout the Bahamas.

Katie's media and photography has been used for various Reef Rescue Network advertising campaigns including the recent Reef Rescue Network Promotional Video.

She is beyond passionate about paving the way for younger Bahamians in her community. As a Ocean lover and All Things Bahamian, she has designed a unique experience for volunteers which is centered around Traveling with a Purpose to showcase the Authentic Bahamas.

Volunteers

Volunteers will learn how to collect existing coral, maintain and care for coral nurseries, andtransplant corals back into the coral reefs ecosystem.

When you restore life to our coral reefs, it is way to give back to Mother Nature, and a really cool PADI Specialty Certification. Traveling with a Purpose allows you as a volunteer contribute to The Bahamas in a unique way.

Your participation supports conservation groups such as The Perry Institute for Marine Science and The Bahamas National Trust. Who are working diligently towards sustainable futures for local communities and the future of Marine Science and Marine Protected Areas within The Bahamas.

• Give Back

• Grasp New Skills

• Gain Cultural Experience

Travel with a Purpose Locations:

Nassau, Andros Island, Great Exuma and San Salvador.*

Why The Bahamas? - by Katie Storr

When I think of my home, the first thing that comes to mind is the Ocean. The Bahamas has a unique way of capturing ones heart, it is a place that once you have visited you won't ever forget it, for a lifetime. Most people know of my home for its pristine white sand beaches and the most stunning pink sand on the planet. Did you know that the sand is made from bits of coral pieces?

When seen from space it is so breathtaking that American Astronaut Scott Kelly had to write and express his love for The Bahamas labeling it as the "most beautiful place from space."

The Bahamas consists of 2500 cays and 700 stunning islands waiting to be explored. It is a cultural experience with great food, rich history, impeccable weather (year round), more than one destination, within a destination and much more! There is no bad time to visit The Bahamas, you can soak and bask in the sun while working on your stunning tan. (This happens to be my ultimate pass time, lounging in the sun with a good read.) Our temperatures rarely drop below 60 Degrees Fahrenheit (even in winter) and although it rains in May and June, we call it showers of blessings because its almost never continuous.

My favorite adventure would have to be exploring the Tongue of the Atlantic Ocean, its dramatic wall drop-offs start at 40ft and drop off to about 6500ft throughout The Bahamas. Showcasing underwater canyons with overhangs and schooling fish, amazing topography with cascading sandy slopes and pelagic marine life checking in after long cruising trips, there is so much to explore here.

Nassau, home of the thrilling Caribbean Reef Shark Dive, 20ft Underwater Statue (Ocean Atlas), The Jaws 4 Cessna snorkel site and Never Say Never Again Wrecks filmed in the 60's. Which is also the residing habitat of one of the first Coral Nurseries established in the Bahamas. I have had the pleasure of assisting and growing corals here with Stuart Coves Dive Bahamas, Hayley Jo Carr, Alex Frans, Gigi Merlusca, Terri Harrison and our students for a many years. It is the reason why I became so knowledgeable of coral rehabilitation and the threats corals are facing today. I believe The Bahamas has the ability to heal the ocean.

Great for Snorkeling or Scuba Diving, The Bahamas has the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world located East of Andros Island. It is approximately 35 nautical miles from the capital, New Providence Island. Andros is the largest island within The Bahamas archipelago, it's not only known for its barrier reef, but its vast coverage of forestry. This dense shrubbery deems this island as prime habitat for a growing community of animals from wild boars, nesting birds, wild cows and many more. It's one of those places you walk through the mangroves and spot animals with friends (Elijah Sands), go bone fishing for the first time, swim and scuba dive in a bluehole, eat the sweetest strawberries and go on endless adventures.

Let's talk about Blue Holes! The Bahamas is the Blue Hole Capital of the World. There are more Blue Holes on Andros than anywhere else on earth, with 175 of them inland and another 50 scattered around the shallow waters offshore. The Bahamas National Trust which established Blue Holes National Park in 2002 has created an amazing adventure trail for adventure seekers to explore and witness the preservation of these impressive natural wonders.

Shark Time is the best time! (My fav!!) I love spotting sharks on dives and it makes me so proud to educate my students on their importance. I am so grateful to my country to have declared over 600,000 Km2 of ocean waters as a shark sanctuary. This prohibits any commercial fishing of sharks, possession, sale and trade of any shark products. Isn't this wonderful? Scuba Diving is much more exciting with these impressive animals gracefully swimming throughout our waters. The Bahamas has paved the way as an example to many countries being a leader of Shark Conservation and Marine Protected Areas, having a huge population of these apex predators protecting our waters creating healthy reefs systems throughout its archipelago. As a Shark Conservationist and volunteer with the Shark4Kids (Shark Education) Organization, (whom provides shark and ocean education to Young brilliant Bahamian students) I can share knowledge and education with students internationally and locally. It has truly inspired me as an educator to be more innovative and improve my teaching skills to adapt to the growing educational system and its technology.

My home town, San Salvador Bahamas is found in many Caribbean history books as it is the first landfall of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Surely an island of such rich cultural experiences and heritage would be known for its world famous scuba diving, right? Well it is! Offering shipwreck diving, wall diving, drift diving, spectacular reefs, a coral nursery and an underwater monument, which marks the spot where the Pinta dropped its anchor. It is one of the top five wall-diving destinations in the region. Lets not forget the secluded beaches, warm Bahamas Vibes from locals, Miss Pams melt in your mouth homemade bread, the all-inclusive Club Med Resort and historical landmarks scattered around the island. San Salvador has (5) National Marine Protected Parks established by The Bahamas National Trust and The San Salvador Living Jewels Foundation. Preservation is key here on our island.

Oink Oink! Here's to the Swimming Pigs of Big Majors Cay and the World Famous Nurse Sharks of Compass Cay, Exuma, seen on Instagram! This famous pair has been the background of many influencers and models for years. You can not come to The Bahamas without booking a day trip to explore the Exumas Cays. Home to the Thunderball Grotto which was in the 1960 James Bond film Thunderball and the Normans Cay "Drug Plane" now a snorkel site with tons of sargent majors and small reef fish using it site as a natural habitat. Exuma is also my favorite place to teach Discover Scuba and the PADI Open Water Scuba Diver course. Its shallow dive sites make it the perfect place to explore and adventure out into this new realm of underwater paradise.

So come and explore with me! I promise you won't forget it, or want to go back home. I am so proud of the fact that I have made it my career to promote and preserve my home for future generations. It is my passion to share The Bahamas with you through adventure, scuba diving and photography. Thank you for stopping by see you soon.

xoxo,

Katie <3

The Reef Rescue Network

What We Do

The Reef Rescue Network coordinates coral nursery establishment, maintenance, management, outplanting and monitoring with its partners. Specifically, we assist with training local partners, developing and implementing criteria for restoration, nursery site selection, harvesting coral from source populations, growing corals in nurseries, outplanting corals to reefs and monitoring the success of restoration at multiple scales from coral colony to reef ecosystem. We aim to be a leader in the creation and implementation of training courses to assist more recreational divers to become involved with scientific diving to help protect the ocean and its inhabitants. We provide opportunities to build partnerships between scientists, marine resource managers, conservation practitioners, and businesses and coastal communities that depend on healthy reefs.

Objectives

Build and create coral nursery structures.
Locate appropriate sites for coral nurseries & construct underwater.
Train individuals how to maintain coral nurseries effectively.
Train individuals how to outplant corals grown in the nursery.
Assist organisations & businesses how to market their coral nursery for educational, recreational or scientific purposes.
Train divers to become Reef Rescue Divers with our own PADI Distinctive Specialty Course.
Train Instructors to teach the Reef Rescue Diver Course with our own in-house PADI Course Director, Hayley-Jo Carr.
Provide complete assistance to organisations and businesses including setup, creation, training and marketing of their own coral nursery.
After implementation continue to provide assistance, information and updates.
Provide divers with a network to become involved with coral restoration.
Committed to gathering scientific data and research on coral restoration including genetics and temperature logging.
Monitor outplanted sites to check survivorship and reef health including Atlantic & Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) surveys.

Why is this research so important?

Our coral reefs are disappearing. About 50 percent of the world’s coral reefs have already been lost or severely damaged. Coral reefs are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems on Earth. However, coral reefs and the magnificent creatures that call them home are in danger of disappearing if actions are not taken to protect them.