Recent News
One thousand turn up to help celebrate environmental landmarksThursday, June 09, 2022
About 1,000 people turned out to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo on Saturday to celebrate World Oceans Day and World Environment Day.
The facility, along with the Bermuda Zoological Society, hosted a free Family Open Day, where they demonstrated their “commitment to ocean conservation”.
David Wingate portrait donated to National Gallery
Thursday, May 12, 2022
A leading conservationist was presented with a portrait of himself in honour of his work.
Ornithologist shows David Wingate helping a fledging Cahow from its nest with two of the seabirds in flight behind him.
A dedication event was held at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo on Saturday.
SailGP preparations underway as Cross Island comes to life
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Sailing fever is now in full swing at the West End ahead of the opening races of SailGP this weekend.
Behind the scenes at Cross Island, headquarters of the Bermuda Grand Prix, the sailing teams and their technical support are immersed in preparations.
BZS Welcomes Youth Climate Summit Participants to Trunk Island
Thursday, May 05, 2022
On Saturday, 30th April, the Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) invited 6 participants from the Youth Climate Summit, as well as the Youth Climate Initiative Consulting Director - Dr. Rosemarie McMahon, for a morning of planting native trees on Trunk Island, the BZS Living Classroom. Under the careful guidance of Trevor Rawson, the BZS Trunk Island Project Coordinator, the participants were able to plant 30 native and endemic trees - teaching them the importance of placing trees and shrubs in a newly graded and exposed coastal environment.
Warwick Playground Transformed by the BZS Micro Forest Project
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
If you drove along South Shore in Warwick last Saturday morning you may have seen a large group of people planting at Warwick Playground. The Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) was joined by their Junior Volunteers, members of the BZS Science Club, individuals from the Government of Bermuda’s Department of Parks, employees from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo and corporate volunteers from RenaissanceRe and Aspen Re to plant the second plot for the BZS Micro Forest Project.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
Simon Jones
Published Nov 6, 2017 at 8:00 am (Updated Nov 6, 2017 at 6:05 am)
Team effort: students from the Impact Mentoring School take a selfie out
at sea before, above, preparing to dive in
“Sharks, just look out for sharks when you’re out there.”
They may have been just winding each other up, but the ten students from the Impact Mentoring School entered the waters off North Rock with a grain or two of nervous energy.
Not because of the sharks, because there weren’t any, but because for some it was the first time they had ever visited North Rock.
And none, even the three teachers that accompanied them, had ever given the sport of freediving a go.
But they all did, some even reached the 35ft marker and enjoyed an experience they’ll remember for the rest of their life; all thanks to the Bermuda Zoological Society’s Kids on the Reef programme.
Team effort: Relaxing on the boat
Thousands of secondary public school students have already gone through a two-day educational programme that culminates in a trip to North Rock and a chance to freedive and swim alongside parrot fish and stunning coral reefs.
“I’d never been to North Rock before,” said 15-year-old Maasai Wilson. “But it is breathtakingly beautiful, and I even saw a barracuda.
“I’d never freedived before today either so I was pretty pleased to get almost to the bottom of the line. We learnt a lot about the techniques for breathing, which was a tough skill to master.”
Antonio Carvelho added: “This has been a whole new experience for me; I’ve never been out here before.
Team effort: deep in thought
“I was nervous at first, but when we got out there and warmed up, it got really decent. Freediving is a hard skill, but I made it down to the bottom despite all the pressure I was feeling on my ears.
“It’s been like a life lesson. The best bit was getting out on the water today, I’ve enjoyed it very much.”
Last spring, scores of middle school pupils took part in the XL Catlin-sponsored Kids on the Reef Programme, while in the autumn the BZS project was rolled out again with the help of the Neil Burnie Foundation.
The Neil Burnie Foundation still provides the fall funding, while XL Catlin had also continued its support of the initiative.
A group of middle school pupils from Impact Mentoring completed the two-day course last month, while the high school students headed out to North Rock on Wednesday.
Taking the plunge: none of the students had freedived before
They were joined by Dr Alex Amat, the BZS youth programme co-ordinator, who organises the project, and South African freediver Beth Neale who provided tuition on the sport.
Impact Mentoring’s director of academics Raj Goodewardener told The Royal Gazette: “This is the first year that we were asked by BZS to take part in Kids on the Reef and we jumped at the opportunity.
“It has been a fantastic experience for the boys. It’s not all about academics, boys especially need hands-on, relevant experiences outside the classroom to help them learn.
“With the Kids on the Reef programme, they can take an experience away that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
Student Stephan Paynter, 17, added: “I just loved being in the ocean. I hate being stuck in the classroom, so this has been great.”