It's never been done before. Read about our turtle Victoria. Victoria's story.


April 2007
November 2006
November 2005
December 2000


April 2007
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for visiting the site. It's beautiful springtime and here I am in the office updating the site. I tell ya, day in and day out in the beautiful sea, I finally get to take a break and work in the office! Okay, so I'm being sarcastic but only just a little because I have the flu and I needed something to do while I am on forced rest.

It has been a most amazing few months. We have been attracting all kinds of media attention - magazines (Islands Magazine, Caribbean Travel and Leisure I'm on Pages 75 and 71), newspapers (The Daily News, The Washington Post), film crews (Fox TV's "Awesome Adventures", Australia's "The Great Outdoors") and just people in general. Part of it is because the world is just beginning to realize that there is nowhere else in the world you can do two of the things we offer:

1. Take a snorkel trip with not only a prep talk but some hands-on time with the most unusual animals you have ever seen and
2. Take a sea turtle for a swim - actually he takes you for the swim - you follow. Crush's story

The most recent filming, and to be honest the reason I am here with the flu, was The Great Outdoors. Now, this was an incredible year in many ways but for Nevis it was great because St. Kitts, our sister island just two miles away, was host to the World Cup Cricket. As a result we had an awful lot of Aussies here. I knew we would be filming with Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Universe 2004 and the host of The Great Outdoors Australian TV show. So I asked every Australian I met if they knew of the show. Evidently, it is a huge hit Down Under. So I was extra chuffed - isn't that just the most descriptive word - that they wanted to film us at Under the Sea.

The title of the Episode is "Three Extraordinary Women". The first extraordinary woman is Pam Barry owner/manager all-around amazing woman, of Golden Rock Plantation Inn. Pam not only knows all about the history of Golden Rock but she can tell you about any herbal remedy for any problem you may have. And most of the plants are growing right there at Golden Rock to boot!

The second is Miss June of Miss June's Cuisine - and if you haven't been to her place for a one-of-a-kind dining experience then you really are missing something unique and wonderful. Besides the foold, she will tell you the most amazing stories from a spirited life of colorful experiences.

And the third extraordinary woman is ME! Who woulda thunk it? So a couple of weeks ago the film crew with Jennifer, who besides being incredibly beautiful is so nice (and really tall), came to my little aquarium to meet Crush, our sea turtle, and other sea creatures and oh yeah, me. Jennifer's in the photo to the left - I'm the one on the right in case you couldn't tell!

For weeks after learning they were coming to film, I emailed all my friends to say it was the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition - to be filmed next to Miss Universe in a bathing suit! (Ummmmm, not really.) Andre liked it and every guy on the island wanted to come take his place! You can read more about how Andre and I met in MORE Magazine. MORE article

The first day we got together, they filmed in the aquarium. The water conditions weren't conducive to filming at Oualie, the sea was pretty rough from all the wind and Jenn was getting a sore throat. So we opted for a couple of days later. We met for filming at Major's Bay in St. Kitts and spend a goodly amount of time in the water (hence the flu now). It was kinda fun! Crush had stage fright and refused to swim . Personally I think he just wanted to hang out with Jennifer. Eventually, Andre took the underwater camera and he, Crush and I went for a good long swim which he caught on tape. I guess Crush was a little nervous with all the unknown things going on - not to mention a trip in the boat (which usually means he is going for a check up at the vet's - and you know how animals are about that!). All in all, it was an incredible amount of fun and a great experience and I can't wait to see the show. It will be broadcast in Australia and New Zealand but they'll send us a copy.

In a couple of months we'll get to see the episode of Fox TV's Awesome Adventures. The episode we filmed features two terrific local teens, Latoya Jones and Rohan Jeffers, and shows them in the aquarium, snorkeling and swimming with Crush. The host of the show Mystro Clark, was so entertaining. He does all kinds of impressions and he reminded me so much of Adam Sandler! He was a blast to be around. Can't wait to see that show either. They said it would be on tv the end of the spring or beginning of the summer. You can catch it on Saturday mornings on Fox.

Let's see, what else have we been up to? Yesterday Andre brought back a new sea star from his snorkel trip. We've never seen it here before and it turns out that it is quite rare in these waters and we were instructed to notify the REEF database to report it. Cool huh?. Here's a photo. It's called the Studded Sea Star (Mithrodia sp.). The thing is huge! It is about 2 feet from tip to tip!

Also, I have been asked to write an article for the Marine Turtle Newsletter about the work I have done over the past seven years raising, acclimating and releasing sea turtles. Evidently no one has ever acclimated a sea turtle before releasing it before. To me it just made sense to get my turtles, who were raised in the aquarium from birth, used to the big bad ocean before setting them free. I've learned a lot in the last several years. I had never worked with sea turtles before moving to Nevis so it was all new to me. I wasn't restricted by tried and true procedures. I made up my own and lo and behold, for better or for worse, I was the only one doing it.

So now that sea turtle researchers of the world know about what I am doing here, hopefully we will all learn more ways to benefit our critically endangered sea turtles (that's every species of sea turtle by the way) by sharing information and ideas. I hope I haven't made too many mistakes and perhaps I have come up with something unique which can be adapted in any number of research and husbandry situations.

Pretty exciting stuff!

Ah yes, and I don't want to forget to tell you about our STORE!!!! I've been working hard on it. We have a few things for sale down here at the aquarium - Crush's "Swim for Ocean Awareness" t-shirt and snorkel gear. Yes, you can purchase decent snorkel gear now at the aquarium and we will fit it for you and make sure it is right for you! We also have an online store at Cafe Press. It's a great thing because they will print our logo on all kinds of cool stuff and that way you can have something to remind you of your trip here. Because we have little space for gifts and such a tiny budget, it is good for us because we don't have to stock a lot of things at the aquarium. Of course it kind of rules out impulse buying - unless you go right now and buy something!.

Under the Sea's Store

I guess that's about it. I'll probably be doing more and more updates to this page now that my son has taught me how to do it by myself. This has been an absolutely amazing year so far and it looks as though that is going to continue.

Take care. Stay healthy and come and visit the little aquarium that might just make a big difference.

And thanks - either in advance or for past kindnesses - for you support.

Barb Whitman

Marine Biologist and Extraordinary Woman (btw, I'm joking)


Come to Nevis. it is just the coolest, most beautiful little island you'll ever see. See you soon, I hope!,



November 2006
Hey, I'm getting good at this. It has only been a year since my last update!



My son Josh, who set up the website for me, has been teaching me how to upload some of the stuff myself. He's a good teacher even though his forte is writing specialized software and a bit of rapelling on weekends. Thing is, I usually mess something up and change the underlying code so he has to figuratively slap my hand and then send me in the right direction.



Anyway, so much has happened this year. We had another terrific year with SeaCampers. Many of the kids who came last year came back to SeaCamp if they were still within our age range. We had local children, expat's children, and children of visitors attending. We had a record number of sponsors this year as well. Many,many thanks to them. They allowed a good number of campers to attend.



We were lucky to have Alicia Marin from Duke University as one of our instructors. Alicia is a sea turtle specialist and the kids loved all the creative games and activities she came up with to teach about sea turtles. And of course Crush did his bit as teaching turtle.



Ceilidh (pronounced kaylee) who was once one of my Sea Squirts, then my first apprentice, last year a SeaCamp helper was a full-fledged instructor this year. I was and am incredibly proud of her. Unfortunately, now being a senior in high school in Canada, she plans to travel a bit after graduation. Too bad for me. I hope she decides to come back for SeaCamp 2008 though.

The rest of our SeaCamp staff included Rachel, who has been a Sea Squirt and apprentice, Hamir, who attended my first SeaCamp on Nevis, and Samantha who was just visiting Nevis and was too old to attend, so we put her to work instead.




Sea Squirts, the after-school program is roaring right along, too. Every week, eleven students, between the ages of 7 and 11, get together to learn about seashells, sea turtles, and other strange and wonderful goings-on in the ocean, while doing their best to drive me and the other instructors crazy. (Just kidding - kind of) They are an incredibly bright group - and full of energy (if you get my drift).

The Touch and Go Trips did a record business this year. I guess it's all that word of mouth advertising. thanks to everyone who came, saw, had fun, and went home to talk about it. A great number of our bookings now come from the Internet - yes this very wbsite - via people who have been referred. They say word of mouth is the best advertising there is. And it doesn't cost a penny! Just our very best efforts!

Our non-profit organization, Terramar, is expanding to include our local animal protection organization, Friends of Nevis ARK. We are about to vote in a new Board of Directors so as soon as that is done, i will have their profiles on the Terramar page. then you can get to know some of the many people who are working hard here on Nevis to protect our animals and our environment.

There is much more in the air but I can't talk about it just yet. Just let me say that the future looks incredibly exciting!

And now, I humbly want to ask you to check out Crush's page and help us raise funds for Crush's satellite tag so we can keep track of our little sea turtle after his release. We are also working very hard to raise funds for a glass-bottom boat so we can get the kids of Nevis and St. Kitts out on the water where they canshed their fears and become entranced with the sea that enthralls so many of us, residents nd visitors alike. Please help if you can. we knao we are just a little speck in this very big world. But if you would like to see your hard earned dollars at work in a very real and substantial way, this is where you can see the results for yourselves. Oh, and I forgot, you can set up an appointment to take Crush for swim. This is the only place in the world you can do that!

As always, thank you so much for visiting us here out in the ether. I hope we get to meet in person. Come vist me, Julie and Andre and, of course, Crush. We're definitely a motley but very entertaining bunch.


Take care

Barb Whitman
Director - Under the Sea

By the way, I'd like you to meet my daughter Katie who did the movie you see on the daytrips page.


November 2005
Okay, it's been 5 years since I last wrote something so I figure, hey, every five years whether I need to or not.

I'd like you to know that this website is truly a family affair. My son, Josh, has his own business in Flagstaff, Arizona. (TrailsWeb.com) He writes software for just about any project you can imagine. He helps out people like me that are stuck trying to figure out their computers. And he develops websites - and this is one! Oh, and he showed me how to put my writings directly on the site so if you see a spelling error - or any error - it's mine - not his.

My daughter, Katie, took the movie you see in daytrips. She has also provided numerous magazines with photos of me for their stories. Some of her photos are on the site, too. By the way, she has a Master's Degree in Astronomy and works as an astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy in Hawaii. Entrepreneurship is calling to her, too, though. She is presently developing a business handling all kinds of things for musical performers in Hawaii. She's a great photographer, too.

Then, there's Andre. You can read about how we met in the MORE article. (Click on the link at the bottom of this page.) Anyway, besides being a terrific woodwork guy and project manager type, Andre is a photographer. He has taken a number of the photos you see on the site. Besides that, he makes sure the tanks in the aquarium are working. While I catch most of the invertebrates, Andre is the chief fish catcher. He can hover for hours waiting for just the right moment to scoop up a fish.

So what's new, you ask? Well, summer camp this year was a great success. We had about 20 kids a week - most stayed for both weeks. They did all kinds of cool hands-on stuff with the animals. They honed their snorkeling skills. Played marine biology bingo, built a raft and learned all about boats including how to drive one. Do you 'drive' a boat?

Andre took a ton of photos. You'll see them under the Sea Camp heading. We already have a lot of this year's kids signed up for next year and next year's crop is already trying to reserve a spot for 2006. I guess I'd better decide on dates..... Hey, you have no idea how exhausting running a camp can be -especially one filled with all kinds of in the water and sunshine activities.

This year, 2005, I had two terrific marine biologists, Melanie Spence and Sarah Fogno, help me teach the kids and do all kinds of fun things with them. The whole idea is to show them a good time and not let them know that they are learning cool stuff. Seems to have worked.

Don't forget to read about Victoria Turtle. She was the coolest turtle. I raised her for almost 2 years, got her ready for her life in the sea and then released her. Kids still report seeing her. I have three little hatchlings now that would have died had we not put them in our tanks and taken care of them. They'll stay with us for 18-24 months while we prepare them for release. In the meantime, if you are here, you can come see them. Take a Touch and Go trip and spend a little time with the hatchlings. When they get older I may let people come take them swimming with me.

By the way, Touch and Go Trips are kind of like being behind the scenes at a public aquarium. Just pretend you are one of the biologists taking care of the animals. You get to handle them and feed them and see how all the plumbing workks, too. How can you resist that?

Something I would like to address. While the Touch and Go Trip is great for kids and families, it's also great for all you pros who have been doing this kind of thing for years. I've even had other marine biologists from different parts of the world do it, including Dr. Sylvia Earle.

The thing is, what we do in the aquarium is not the usual aquarium stuff. And I bet you that no matter how much you have been snorkeling or scuba diving, you'll see something you didn't know about. Okay, maybe 1 percent of you (Dr. Earle) will know everything.

I didn't know the all the things I tell you and I've been working in the ocean for over thrity years! I learn sometime new every day, too.

So I don't want you to think it's a "class" or lecture. If it were like that I'd have to kill myself. I can't take lecture either!

Oh, you know what? I got the greatest compliment I have ever recieved the other day. Jo Matyas, who is a travel writer - and believe me that girl travels all over the world doing all kinds of nature stuff - anyway, she sent me an email the other day and said

"I've been paddling around the oceans and rainforests lately and let me tell you - you are the very best eco-type small tour operator in the hemisphere! You should teach others the Barb Whitman approach to introducing tourists to the natural world - a method which is respectful and knowledgeable and fun. You rock!"

Wow. I guess that means, I'll have to aim a little higher this year - maybe be the best on the planet.

Seriously, all I want is to have a good time, enjoy my life and for all of you who come out with me to have a great time and never forget it. Besides then you'll tell all your friends and then maybe I can buy a car that is newer than 12 years old. Okay, so really seriously, I want you to have fun, learn some stuff and make your friends and family come do the trip, too. :-)

Will I see you this year? Hope so.

All the best (as they say here on Nevis),

Barb




December 2000

December 2000

Hi. A lot of people ask me how I got to Nevis so I figured I’d write it down in case you want to know, too.

Before I moved to Nevis I lived in Connecticut, USA. I’d been teaching marine biology there since 1974 – don’t even think of adding up the years to find out how old I am. I owned a small company called Terramar Marine Biology Programs which began in 1984 with hands-on programs for school children. I called it Terramar, which means land and sea, because I would take the sea to the land – i.e. bring live sea animals to schools so kids could see them up close and personal.

Over the years Terramar grew to include a great variety of education programs including teachers’ training programs, summer camp and ecoadventure travel programs. It’s the ecoadventures that lead me to Nevis.

I used to charter tall ships and take people from island to island in the Caribbean studying the marine environment, volcanoes, rainforests and native cultures. Normally we would go from Antigua to Montserrat, Isle de Saints, Guadeloupe and Dominica. But on my last trip the wind changed direction and we had to sail north. We went to Stacia and then to Nevis. That wind shift changed my life.

When we got to Nevis we took an island tour since I’d never been here before. Then I asked where the best place to snorkel was. We were directed here to Under the Sea, then Prinderella’s bar and restaurant. When I went out to snorkel I was amazed at all the marine life that lived under these cliffs. When I reached the point, I turned and looked back at the shore. I though to myself, “This is it.”

That was in March 1998. By September 2, 1998 I had sold my house, the Connecticut portion of my business, and all my belongings and moved to Nevis. Risk-taker? You bet. Dedicated? You bet. Idiot? I sure hope not.

I didn’t know a soul when I first got here. But I’ve made many wonderful friends who have helped me and supported me over the years as I’ve tried to make my dream a reality – even though they weren’t really sure what the heck I was trying to do. I don’t even know how to begin to thank them.

But, here it is….Under the Sea, Sealife Education Centre (note the English spelling. Hey when in Rome….).

It is a place where I hope the children of this island will learn about and become the protectors of the beautiful environment that surrounds them. Where adults may come to see the ocean as a place that must be handled carefully if it is to continue to provide them with food and livelihoods. A place where a visitor’s snorkel or dive will be that much better because they have seen many of the creatures before they even enter the water. They’ll know what to look for and where and why it’s there and what it’s doing.

I love the ocean. I love all the creatures in it (except maybe some worms – I mean, they’re cool and all but I just haven’t seemed to bond with them). I really want to see it survive us.

I want to see the people of this island continue to reap the harvest of her bounty for many generations to come. But it all takes education. And that’s where I come in. So enjoy the programs. Enjoy the beach and the snorkeling here. Sometimes it’s so great, I feel like I’m in a Discovery video!

So enjoy. And if you can, sponsor an aquarium, a piece of scientific equipment or a class of school children. Big fat checks are also very welcome. But anything you can do to help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to all my friends, to supportive acquaintances and especially to my kids, Katie and Josh, who have stood behind me every step of the way – I can’t begin to tell you what that has meant to me.

Barb Whitman
Marine Biologist/Educator