Established & incorporated in 1990 by Dr. Samuel Gruber, the Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation (BBFSF) aka Bimini Sharklab is a world-famous facility located on the island of South Bimini, Bahamas.
BBFSF is offering a non-technical course in the general biology of elasmobranchs. The course features daily field trips, presentations and personal encounters with several species of actively feeding, free-swimming sharks and rays. Daily field trips are provided to immerse you in the rich surrounding of flora and fauna of Bimini’s diverse and pristine habitats that support the sharks you will encounter. From mangroves forests to seagrass meadows and shallow sandy flats to rocky shores fringed with coral reefs, you will gain insight into the role of sharks in these unique ecosystems. Students learn how sharks are captured, tagged and released for scientific research, observe a dozen Caribbean reef sharks while they actively compete for food, watch great hammerheads glide over the sand in search of prey, and more.
Classroom lectures and presentations provide for engaging discussions on the biology and ecology of sharks, as well as the research conducted at the Shark Lab over the past 28 years. Guests will receive daily lectures from experts actively working in the field of shark research, including Dr. Dean Grubbs, Associate Director of Research at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory. Dean is an expert in marine biology, fish ecology and fisheries science, with particular expertise in the biology of coastal and deep sea sharks. He has been studying sharks and rays for over 25 years and has tagged & released more than 10,000 sharks from 40+ species.
The entire 6 day all-inclusive course is held at the Bimini Biological Field Station (Shark Lab) from 17th April – 22nd April 2019. The price of this course is $2310 and includes all meals and board, field activities, lectures and return charter flights from Miami to Bimini. This course is open to anyone with an interest in sharks and marine biology; a background in marine biology is not required. Students should be able to swim and stay in the water for 45 minutes, as well as use snorkel gear and understand English. Under 18’s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For more information please email media@biminisharklab.com or check out https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.biminisharklab.com%2Fopportunities%2Fnaturalistcourse&data=02%7C01%7Ceric.schultz%40uconn.edu%7C2e8ca5aed8f4453252ed08d6a6cd863f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C636879799031609792&sdata=tUkAIFSgz0XpjOVAiSw7uJb5Z%2F2bSyYlqZ1kv4KO%2BcE%3D&reserved=0