Conservation · British Virgin Islands

Beyond The Reef

A British Virgin Islands and U.S. 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization working to preserve ocean ecosystems for generations to come.

Visit 1beyondthereef.com →

Beyond The Reef is a British Virgin Islands–based nonprofit formed in 2018 in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Its mission is to protect the BVI's abundant, diverse marine ecosystem while building local education and pride in the underwater habitat. The work spans large-scale artificial reefs built from hurricane-damaged vessels, monitoring and treating Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, shark and cetacean field research, and clearing ghost fishing gear from the territory's reefs and coastline.

What we do

Primary Programs

The Beyond The Reef logo engraved on the BVI Art Reef
Artificial reefs

Art reefs & salvage

Recycled ships and planes transformed into dive sites that rebuild habitat — including Sharkplaneo, The Kraken, and the Kodiak Queen. All generating funds to benefit local youth swim programs.

Beyond The Reef shark tagging program in the British Virgin Islands
Research

Shark research & tagging

First-of-its-kind shark research in the BVI, studying multiple species to protect the reefs and mangroves they depend on.

A humpback whale breaches in British Virgin Islands waters
Research

Cetacean research

Field research on the whales and dolphins moving through BVI waters.

Beyond The Reef diver recording coral health data underwater
Restoration

Coral monitoring & SCTLD treatment

Monitoring reef health and treating stony coral tissue loss disease to keep corals alive and growing.

Beyond The Reef hauling ghost fishing net from the water
Clean-up

Ghost-gear removal

Locating and hauling abandoned fishing gear off the reefs to prevent further damage to coral and potential animal entanglements.

Beyond The Reef team and students at a BVI youth program
Community

Coastal clean-ups & outreach

Popular community events that bring locals into the work of keeping BVI waters healthy.

The BVI Art Reef

Sunken ships, living habitat

Beyond The Reef turns retired vessels and sculptures into artistic dive sites that rebuild marine habitat — including the Willy T wreck, the Sharkplaneos, and the Kodiak Queen.

The Beyond The Reef art-reef vessel under tow in the British Virgin Islands
The Beyond The Reef logo on the BVI Art Reef
A diver explores the BVI Art Reef
An encrusted sculpture on the BVI Art Reef
A diver beside a Sharkplaneo on the BVI Art Reef
Aerial view of the Beyond The Reef art-reef vessel
Fish gather around a sculpture on the BVI Art Reef
Illustrated dive-site map of the Willy T wreck, sunk by Beyond The Reef off Peter Island in Key Bay
Shark research & tagging

Studying the reef's apex species

Beyond The Reef runs hands-on shark research and tagging across BVI waters, studying the species that keep the reefs and mangroves healthy.

Kendyl Berna with a young shark during a Beyond The Reef tagging session
The Beyond The Reef team releasing a tagged shark
Beyond The Reef shark tagging from a research boat
A shark swims through BVI waters
Ocean cleanups & ghost-gear removal

Pulling debris off the reef

From ghost fishing gear to abandoned traps, Beyond The Reef's teams haul marine debris off the reefs and shorelines of the British Virgin Islands.

Hauling ghost fishing net from the water
Lifting an abandoned fish trap onto the boat
Clearing marine debris along a BVI shoreline
Recovering a large mass of ghost net
Divers carry recovered net toward the surface
A free-diver above a reef tangled with ghost gear
The Beyond The Reef team hauling ghost rope aboard the boat
Carrying bagged marine debris out of the shallows near the mangroves
Cetacean research

Proving the BVI is a whale highway

Beyond The Reef's whale and dolphin field research documents the humpbacks, sperm whales, and dolphins migrating through BVI waters — and brings the science ashore in a life-size humpback whale sculpture that doubles as a classroom for local students.

A humpback whale breaches in BVI waters
A humpback whale breaching off the British Virgin Islands
Beyond The Reef's life-size humpback whale sculpture, built as a floating classroom
Students inside the Beyond The Reef humpback whale sculpture classroom
Photo-ID tracking a humpback from Norway to the British Virgin Islands
Beyond The Reef team responding to a whale stranding in the BVI
Beyond The Reef's whale research on the front page of The Virgin Islands Daily News
Virgin Islands Daily News feature on Beyond The Reef's whale migration research

Front-page coverage: The Virgin Islands Daily News, March 2025

Community & youth education

Raising the next generation of ocean ambassadors

Beyond The Reef runs youth dive and swim programs, school visits, and science outreach across the BVI — getting local kids in the water and invested in the reefs around them.

Kendyl Berna presenting BVI whale research to local students
A sustainable seafood guide workshop for BVI youth
A young diver holds a sign reading We Are the New Generation of Ocean Ambassadors
Beyond The Reef team and students at a youth education program in the BVI

See the work in full

Projects, dive sites, the team, and ways to support the mission live on the Beyond The Reef site.

Go to 1beyondthereef.com →
Watch

On the water

Ocean cleanup for #TeamSeas · film by Alicia Franco