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twitterLENGTH: 4 days / 3 nights residential course
LOCATION: Little Cayman Research Centre, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
COST: US $12,000 for up to 10 adults*
Subject to availability.
CONSERVATION & OUTREACH
Citizen Science
- Corporate Retreats
- dive With CCMI
- dive with a researcher
- reefs go live
- diving with heroes
- outreach
Corporate Marine Sustainability Retreats
Course Overview
Get out of the board room – and dive into nature for your next retreat! This immersive 4-day residential programme equips corporations and institutions (their leaders and employees) with evidence-based understanding of why marine sustainability and coral reef resilience matters to business continuity and ESG performance. Participants will explore coral reef ecology, resilience science, climate impacts, and marine governance while gaining practical frameworks for corporate action that meets your company’s stated goals.
COURSE MODULES
This immersive experience goes beyond traditional team building. Participants learn to design actionable 12–24 month Corporate Marine Action Plans that strengthens ESG performance while benefiting local marine ecosystems and communities. This roadmap includes capacity building and knowledge transfer for new employees as well as pathways for creating partnerships with local communities on coral reef restoration, MPAs surveillance, blue-carbon initiatives, and other marine conservation outcomes.
CCMI will work with your company to create a tailored syllabus to meet your goals for your retreat. You will receive the three core modules below PLUS one optional module to complete your course. Additional modules can be added for an additional cost, and they would require extra days added to the course.
Course modules include:
- Foundations of Coastal Economies: Coral Reef Ecology and Resilience
- Plastic Pollution and Ocean Health
- Exploring Little Cayman Coral Reef Biodiversity by Boat
- Sustainable Seafood and Supply Chains (optional)
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Conservation Finance (optional)
- Ocean Health and Corporate Risk Reduction (optional)
- Hidden Reef Dynamics: Nocturnal Ecosystem Function and Biodiversity (optional)
- Coral Reefs in a Changing Climate: Risk, Resilience, and Corporate Responsibility (optional)
Set against the extraordinary backdrop of Little Cayman, a Mission Blue Hope Spot, this retreat builds stronger teams while positioning your company as a true environmental leader in the Cayman Islands.
COURSE OUTCOMES
Participants learn to design actionable 12–24 month Corporate Marine Action Plans that strengthens ESG performance while benefiting local marine ecosystems and communities. Such roadmap includes capacity building and knowledge transfer for new employees, as well as pathways for creating partnerships with local communities on coral reef restoration, MPAs surveillance, blue-carbon initiatives, and other marine conservation outcomes.
The course will be presented using a variety of instructional methods, including: lectures, direct field observations (e.g., snorkelling in healthy vs. degraded coral reefs around Little Cayman; observing a coral nursery and its upkeep), group field activities (e.g., building reef restoration field tools; beach cleanups), field notebooks (participants are asked to keep a field notebook to record field observations and reflections), literature reviews and class discussions, and small group presentations.
Participants will liaise with local businesses, government agencies with direct responsibility for marine ecosystem monitoring, and conservation NGOs on Little Cayman.
There will also be time during your visit to CCMI to explore the beauty of Little Cayman through the use of our bicycles and kayaks. Life at the field station is a truly unique experience, complete with nightly stargazing, beach BBQs, and an ocean view of the Bloody Bay Marine Park just steps from your bedroom door!
Fee includes full room and board (3 meals/day, 4 days/3 nights in shared dorm-style accommodation with bunk beds), CCMI team instruction and support, ground transportation in Little Cayman, dives/snorkels for each module, and snorkel gear. SCUBA participants are advised to bring their own dive gear, if possible, for enhanced comfort.
Fee does not include flights or DAN insurance for divers.
dive with ccmi
Contribute to Marine Conservation
Are you a diver in the Cayman Islands looking for something fun and interesting to do over the holiday weekends? Have you ever wanted to scuba dive with a purpose? Are you interested in learning more about Caymans coral reef ecosystem?
Join our team at the Little Cayman Research Centre during select holiday weekends diving and living at CCMI’s fully functioning remote field station! Divers are invited to become citizen scientists by helping our team collect and enter data to aid the most critically endangered ecosystem in the oceans, our coral reefs.
WHO SHOULD JOIN US
Certified recreational scuba divers (18+ years of age) who are interested in diving with a purpose, learning more about coral reefs, and being a part of a unique diving experience at CCMI’s Little Cayman Research Centre.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Citizen scientists will be immersed in the daily life of our Little Cayman Research Centre, where they learn about the importance of coral reefs, a range of conservation projects, and the basics of underwater field research methods. Participants will assist our team with timely local, regional, and international citizen science projects – learning methodologies which can be continued at home after leaving your experience with CCMI!
There will also be plenty of opportunities outside of diving to explore the beauty of Little Cayman through the use of our bicycles, kayaks, and sunrise yoga on the deck. Life at the field station is a truly unique experience, complete with nightly stargazing, beach BBQs, and an ocean view of the Bloody Bay Marine Park just steps from your bedroom door!
This is a weekend where you will have the opportunity to learn as much or as little as you want!
Fee includes full room and board (3 meals/day + snacks, 3 days/2 nights), boat and shore diving, all lecture and survey materials, and ground transportation in Little Cayman. Price does not include Divers Alert Network (DAN) insurance, flights, or dive gear.
dive with a researcher
Diving to Help Save Coral Reefs
Why are some corals surviving climate change while others are not?
Scientists at the Little Cayman Research Centre are working on this question and you could help.
JOIN US AS CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
Have you ever wanted to scuba dive with a purpose?
Or have you ever wished you could explore reefs with a scientist and discover something new?
Do you want to help coral reef scientists solve some of the mysteries of coral reefs?
If so, you can join our team at the Little Cayman Research Centre this summer and spend a week at a working, vibrant field station.
Divers are invited to become citizen scientists to help us answer questions to aid the most critically endangered ecosystem in the ocean.
PRICE – CI $2,500
WHO SHOULD JOIN US
Scuba divers who are interested in diving with a purpose and learning more about coral reefs
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Daily dives will see participants taking part in research in action. Whether you are helping us with the coral restoration, taking part in monitoring or supporting scientists as they collect data, you will be immersed in the most beautiful marine environment.
You will help with beach clean ups, get a lionfish license and help cull lionfish. Learn more about the fish, corals and critters that contribute to healthy coral reefs, whilst living at a fully operational vibrant field research facility. You will take part in talks with local scientists and have the opportunity to learn as much or as little as you want!
Little Cayman is a beautiful island, there will be opportunity to kayak, swim, snorkel and explore the islands’ hidden gems, as well as head out in the evenings to the local bar or restaurant if you feel like venturing off site.
Room and board (3 meals/day, 7 days/6 nights) will be provided. Prices do not include insurance, flights, or gear.
reefs go live
As terrestrial beings, most people are challenged to understand the unique processes of the ocean or even fathom being able to take the plunge and dive below the waves. Among the challenges is that urban, rural and geographically land-locked people perceive the ocean to be a distant place beyond their reach. In addition, scientists are often conducting research on relevant topics at remote locations where it is virtually impossible for the majority of the general public to gain a first-hand experience. This reality creates enormous financial, logistical, physical constraints on bringing people into the field where they can directly explore the ocean.
CCMI’s education team has developed a transformational, interactive education programme using Virtual Live Experiences (VLEs) methods to connect students and the public to real-time coral reef activity, in an informal science setting. Scientists use high tech face masks and streaming computer equipment to deliver live lessons from the underwater and lab environment. Innovative technology enables VLEs to reduce barriers to learning by communicating interactive ‘real-life’ experiences in an informal, scalable science setting.
diving with heroes
Since 2016, CCMI has partnered with Diving With Heroes to deliver a week-long programme every year at the Little Cayman Research Centre as part of the Diving With Heroes Marine Science Intiative. Veterans spend their time immersed in field station life working alongside scientists to preserve and restore coral reef ecosystems. We know that diving creates a new, invigorating world for veterans, helping recovery, opening new doors to a different way of life and providing an active, technical sport that aligns with a military way of thinking. By taking this experience a step further and including the research and conservation element into the mix, diving is given a greater purpose – it’s not just about enjoying the sport, it’s also about learning how to protect our oceans for the future.
outreach
LITTLE CAYMAN REEF LECTURE SERIES
CCMI’s scientists conduct weekly lectures in Little Cayman on CCMI’s current research interests as well as other issues impacting the marine environment. These lectures are held locally at Southern Cross Club at 6 pm on Thursdays and are open to the public including visitors. The topics covered will include themes like climate change and its impact on coral reefs, the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish, ongoing efforts to recover local Nassau grouper populations and a variety of other issues impacting Cayman Islands reefs. For the most current information on the lecture series, contact us (button on the right) or ask at your Little Cayman hotel.
RESEARCH STATION TOUR
Weekly tours are conducted on Friday at 3:00 pm at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute for guests on Little Cayman. Visitors are able to see the research facilities firsthand and get an inside look into our current research programmes. Visitors to Little Cayman interested in a tour of the station should inquire at the reception desk of their hotel or call CCMI on: 1 345 948 1094 or contact us (button right). Or reserve your space online for FREE!
