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twitterREEFS GO LIVE RETURNS FOR A NEW SEASON – DIRECT FROM LITTLE CAYMAN HOPE SPOT
CCMI brings the ocean directly to classrooms around the world through underwater live-stream lessons
4th March 2025: In 2018, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) launched Reefs Go Live, their innovative, flagship education programme that live-streams directly from underwater on the coral reefs in Little Cayman to students in classrooms around the world in real time. The 2024 season of Reefs Go live had more than 45,000 views for the live broadcasts from ocean enthusiasts around the globe. This year, CCMI’s Reefs Go Live team hopes to expand the impact of the programme with four new episodes and a range of educational offerings, including mini documentaries and supplemental teaching resources to help integrate the material into classroom lessons around the world.
Coral reefs across the planet have been suffering as record-breaking ocean temperatures continue to be recorded. However, the reefs of Little Cayman have shown promising signs of hope during this period of global coral loss, with many of the key reef-building coral species in Little Cayman surviving the most extreme coral bleaching event on record. This is supported by fish populations continuing to thrive, thanks to effective management in Little Cayman marine protected areas. Reefs Go Live transports viewers to this unique marine ecosystem that hold such importance for marine biodiversity across the region. The broadcasts will showcase the value of coral reefs in the world we live in and highlighting the importance of conservation, research and the work that CCMI is doing to conserve these essential ecosystems at such a critical time in their history.
CCMI’s General Manager, Kate Holden is excited to launch the seventh year of Reefs Go Live:
‘This year marks the culmination of some of CCMI’s largest and most ground-breaking research projects. These findings, which share insight into what the future holds for Cayman’s reefs in the face of climate change, will be fed into every broadcast of this season. Our recent data indicate that the reefs of Little Cayman show signs of resilience and recovery during some of the most extreme environmental conditions on record. CCMI looks forward to bringing the classroom to students all over the globe, live from the unique ecosystem that is Little Cayman’s coral reefs.’
The first episode of 2025 will take place on Friday, 21st March at 10 am Cayman time (UTC -5h). The episode, ‘Exploring the unknown ocean: Underwater mountains of Cayman’ will show what CCMI researchers found when exploring the previously un-charted underwater mountains of Pickle Bank and 12-mile Bank and why this is so important for coral reefs in the Cayman Islands and regionally.
Viewers of each episode will be able to ask questions of the diver and participate in polls through the online platform to make Reefs Go Live an interactive experience.
Additional episodes for this year will run at 10 am (UTC -5h) on the following dates:
Friday, 11th April: Cryptic Creatures of the Reef
Friday, 9th May: Endangered corals: Finding and restoring rare coral species
Friday, 6th June (World Ocean Day): Climate Change and our Ocean
Reefs Go Live provides an opportunity for students from all over the world to engage with the stunning ocean environment in its most natural format. As coral reefs around the world face unprecedented pressure, generating increased engagement with these precious ecosystems creates an opportunity to promote marine sustainability in a positive and fun way.
Reefs Go Live utilises streaming technology with underwater video and audio equipment to enable real time broadcasting from Little Cayman’s stunning coral reefs. Little Cayman, a Mission Blue Hope Spot, hosts some of the most biodiverse reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, which shows promising signs of resiliency to climate change impacts. The broadcasts and education materials draw connections from CCMI’s current research conducted in Little Cayman to the national science curriculum and key ocean literacy principles, making CCMI’s work relevant and accessible to students and viewers of all ages, and emphasising the relationship that we all have to coral reefs, no matter where we are.
Reefs Go Live is a free education programme that is made possible by the generosity of The Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation.
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