In June of 2024, The Bahamas Caves Research Foundation was granted a research permit by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in partnership with the Bermuda Caver Group that allows for collection of cave adapted species, digital mapping, photogrammetry and study of the Bermudian aquifer in underwater cave systems found through out the island.
Purpose
Our goal, and now our new foundation mandate, is to train members of the Bermuda Caver’s Group in various disciplines of underwater/underground data collection. All training and equipment and diving support is conducted at the expense of the Bahamas Caves Research Foundation.
FADS
A 20 foot refrigerated shipping container was repurposed and customized as a high-end, autonomous dive support center to support all aspects of the project, including mixed gas rebreather support, diving equipment, equipment maintenance as well as computer systems that allow for digital mapping, photo, video and photogrammetry of the underwater caves systems in Bermuda. Dubbed FADS (Fly Away Diving System), this system as well as others to be built allows the team to set up diving support anywhere 220V Single Phase power is available.
Biologic Investigations
Current biologic studies are primarily aimed at genetic comparisons of cave adapted (stygobitic) shrimps typhlatya Iliffei as well as the ongoing search for new species in these anchialine caves.
Notable Activities
Mnemo mapping device and Ariane’s Line Software Course with Sebastien Kister October 2024
Photogrammetry Course with Sebastien Kister May 2025
Flex2 CCR Training for BCG divers February 2025
The teams continue with both hydrological data gathering with a large suite of temperature, salinity and depth sensors distributed throughout several caves on the island. New sonde data has recently been added to the data being collected.
