Organizations & Conservation

1994 - 2016 Founder of Underwater Boat Maintenance & Services Ltd.

 A commercial ocean project orientated scuba diving service. Contracted with government and private organizations. The company progressively became a marine conservation platform.

1999 – 2016 Co Founder of UBS Dive Center  

The only personalized private, scuba diving Instruction & tours operator in the BVI. UBS resources were available for day or term use. This gave UBS the flexibility to cater to the specific needs of our clients, contractors and various ecoloical organizations. Coupled with our passion and local knowledge of the ocean we became active in various marine protection programs and projects.     

2006 – 2014 Co Founder of Tortola Kayak Snorkel & Eco Tours. (A subsidiary of UBS) Contracts with Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, Silver Seas and Regents Seven Seas Cruises. Shore side Agent: Romney & Associates. Used two person kayaks and snorkeling equipment for a three hour tour of 20 persons from the dive center in Fat Hogs Bay.  This was an ecosystem education tour into the Red, Black & White Mangroves forest. In water swims from Mangroves onto Turtle & Eel grasses and coral reefs including fish identification. Curriculum focused on historical evidence of mans impact to the balances of nature and future preventative methods and their importance.  With averaging 3000 clients a year the tours gained enough notoriety to influence social behavior change for improved mangrove conservation.

2007 – 2016 Co Founder of Non-Profit Reef Guardians BVI Organization created to prevent and control the Lion Fish invasion. Designed a new viable system using government, local charter boat companies, dive companies, tourists, volunteers, businesses, schools, clubs, fisherman and social media. In conjunction with the CORE foundation we printed public service material for fish identification, first aid, sighting report phone numbers and marker deployment. Operated a 24 hr phone service to record sightings and organize the culling. We conducted training seminars for the rotary & yachts clubs, local restaurants, fisherman, Virgin Islands Search & Rescue, the marine police and water sport operators including marker production and distribution. Conducted ciguatera testing and facilitated fisherman and restaurant business relationships. Provided awareness to garner the acceptance of Lion Fish on the menus of public food establishment’s.  Organized and conducted beach events for  training res-ponders, provide equipment and boats, conduct diving sweeps on reefs, and teach safe fish handling. We also taught methods of preparing, cooking and eating of Lion Fish.   

Volunteer - VISAR Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR) 

VISAR is a voluntary organization dedicated to saving life at sea. It is the officially recognized search and rescue service in the British Virgin Islands. In 1993 I became the instructor for the training of VISAR members in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), First Aid with marine emphasis, and in 1999 UBS Dive Center became an auxiliary radio and boat response location. Working with the Emergency First Responders Corporation I was able to facilitate no cost certifications for up to 12 persons per year. Yearly updates and retraining included Oxygen Administration, Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and Epinephrine use. I routinely assisted in organizing, volunteering, and participating in  rescue drills, fundraising events  and  demonstrations.    

Collaborations  

 "Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild" in an underwater series. Breaking away from his normal zoological format Jack spent time in the BVI and with UBS Dive Center to learn about our environment and what areas we have of concern. My wife, Kate, received an invitation to become a guest cast member for his undersea shows. 

This year marks the 24th year the Association of Reef Keepers (ARK) has been in existence in the British Virgin Islands. From 2000 until closing UBS Dive Center had been an active member and has provided countless boating and scuba equipment for marine ecological studies. Numerous educational materials regarding the importance of protecting the Territory's marine resources were created and distributed locally and regionally. The success of these materials along with many articles in the press and letters to the VI Government helped raise the awareness within the local community that the marine environment needs better attention towards its preservation and gave ARK the reputation as a leader in marine ecological protection in the BVI.

I joined with the Premier the Honorable Dr. Orlando Smith, OBE in welcoming regional and environmental leaders to the British Virgin Islands for the first Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) in 2013 to address environmental threats facing the Caribbean region. The CCI is The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) initiative for a collaborative of caribbean nations to protect  vast territorial waters. UBS Diver Cener and Reef Guardians along with  Jost Van Dykes Preservation Society, and the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board provided technical and logistical advice for the three day conference.  

Assisted the National Geographic Society (NGS) TV segment on haunted ship wrecks. From one inquisitive phone call from NGS to UBS Dive Center I mobilized other local businesses to support and facilitate the production of an internationally televised segment on the BVI’s wreck of the Rhone. The exposure was effective in bringing attention to the BVI National Parks Trust in which the RMS Rhone is protected under. 

Assisted the PEW Foundation. Provided technical and practical information of the local marine use. Liaison with relative governmental departments, agencies and organizations. Advisor on the content of the new legislation enacted to create laws banning shark & ray fishing in the BVI waters. Help develop ways and means of enforcement of the new laws.   

Through my organizations I have undertaken work in collaboration with scientific institutions, NGO’s and government agencies. Much of the numerous small jobs and efforts I have been involved in (not all shown here) can best be described through a relatively new concept called Citizen Science. Citizen science has played a role in the MPA monitoring and other programs. My experiences of incorporating citizen science into a larger monitoring community who include high school students, clubs, churches, volunteer SCUBA divers, and eco-tourists has proved to be very effective.