Introducing Beneath the Waves

We are excited to partner with the Beneath the Waves oceanic conservation non-profit organization. We believe that through communal participation and art collecting can help bring awareness and consideration to the world of conservation. 

Founded in 2013, Beneath the Waves is an ocean NGO using cutting-edge science to advance scientific discovery and catalyze ocean policy, with a focus on threatened species and ecosystems. Led by a group of established and emerging leaders in the marine conservation world, they have initiatives focusing on the conservation of biodiversity and highly migratory species such as sharks throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific Ocean.

Their work has generated nearly 100 scientific publications, numerous first-ever discoveries, and they have been involved in the study and conservation of nearly 1 million square kilometers of marine protected areas.

Program Focus

Beneath The Waves has made a strategic decision to focus its programs and resources in the following timely conservation areas:

1. Marine protected areas, working with governments and partners to integrate our work into their preservation of larger expanses of ocean.
2. Threatened species, filling knowledge gaps to bolster arguments for local, national and international conservation plans.
3. Deep-sea conservation, mapping biodiversity throughout the largest ecosystem on our planet.
4. Blue carbon, using cutting-edge technologies such as remote sensing, aerial imaging, and environmental DNA—and partnering with threatened marine species—to accurately measure carbon sequestration at our project sites.

Goal for The Future

Since 2018, BTW has emerged as one of the leading collaborative marine research groups doing work in The Bahamas, and they have made great strides in engaging government officials, local NGOs, community members, and businesses in their work. This commitment to building programs that engage locals is highlighted by their relationship with The Grand Isle Resort in Great Exuma, where there is interest in deepening local research and employment opportunities for Bahamians and conservation experiences for tourists. They have replicated this model in the Turks & Caicos Islands, working with the Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources and local ecotourism operators, and seek to continue building similar relationships as they expand throughout the region through the foundation of their new network, the Caribbean Shark Coalition.

BTW will be successful if the following is accomplished on the species and regions in which they work: 

• Increased establishment of marine protected areas and reserves 
• Sustaining and strengthening of existing protected areas 
• Improved conservation status and sustainable management of species 
• Increased production of science to accelerate discovery in our oceans

Beneath The Waves recently featured in Bloomberg Green

The adrenaline-filled data-collection process includes measuring the sharks, outfitting them with identification tags for future tracking, and extracting tissue samples for further analysis. Source: Wilson Haynes for Beneath the Waves