By Kimberly Wallace, HER Magazine
It is often claimed that we know more about space than our oceans. But marine scientist and part-time lecturer at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Shivonne McPherson is hoping to change that, one child at a time, with the Science Snorkel Club.
McPherson is the managing director of the eco-coastal tour experience Top Catch Charters, which is the only tour boat in the English-speaking Caribbean to be awarded the Blue Flag consecutively since 2020 for achieving a certain level of environmental protection, safety and environmental sustainability. The Science Snorkel Club (SSC), which exposes young minds in Tobago to the wonderful and colourful marine ecosystems that lie beneath the waves, was birthed out of McPherson and Top Catch Charters’ involvement in the Blue Flag programme.
“The Science Snorkel Club is an interactive experience,” McPherson told Her Magazine.
“We found that a lot of kids and adults are timid in the water; they bathe only where they could stand but Tobago has so many precious marine resources, we have coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests and a lot of people don’t know what lies beneath the surface of the water. If they don’t know, then they can’t protect those coastal eco-systems.”
Since the club was launched the feedback has been very positive. Once every quarter, the Science Snorkel Club meets at Mt Irvine Bay where girls and boys don their snorkelling masks and get the opportunity to explore underwater. McPherson hopes this will inspire them to become the next generation of environmental stewards.
Lectures on marine science form a major part of the Science Snorkel Club; participants are taught about marine habitats in Tobago, existing threats and practical steps which can be taken to mitigate the negative impact of global warming.
For the club’s fourth instalment, educational tools introducing different marine species and their importance to the marine environment were used.
Currently, the SSC is limited to Tobago but McPherson hopes that with the support of private and public sectors more and more youths in communities across Tobago and in Trinidad will have access to the programme. Knowing how to swim is not a requirement, the participants are fitted with a life jacket and a lifeguard and rescue boat are present at each instalment of the SSC. The club’s end goal is to have more youths learn how to swim.
“As we expand the project we hope to team up with other entities and have swim classes as part of the programme,” said McPherson.
McPherson and the ocean share a special bond, but that’s only because she was able to turn a tragedy into something positive. When she was a child, McPherson was involved in a boating accident, as a result she was scared of the ocean and never ventured out in deep waters. That all changed when she relocated to Tobago for a job opportunity in 2011; through her job she was introduced to snorkelling and scuba diving.
“I feel so comfortable underwater. Everytime I go snorkelling or scuba diving I’m amazed by what I see. When I saw a Christmas tree worm, a lionfish and a shark for the first time, it was mind blowing. There are so many creatures that exist underwater that we don’t know,” she said.
McPherson knows there are many people who are still traumatised after having near drowning experiences, she believes that when the Science Snorkel Club eventually opens to the public, it will encourage children and adults to overcome their fear of the ocean.
“I think what we offer – which is out of pocket – is a fantastic programme. We have a love for the marine environment; we want to see more protection, more partnerships, and more young people and adults un-derstanding and appreciating what we have in our own backyard,”said McPherson. “I’m appealing to NGOs and other entities to partner with us on this sustainability drive, let us all come together and see how we can positively impact the marine environment.”
