Lynn Costenaro

If I'm completely honest, the idea for Sea & Learn started from a business perspective, because the October timeframe is a traditionally very slow time of year in the Caribbean. One of the hotel owners said, “I can't afford to have another October like that,” and I said, “Well, if you really want to do something interesting, I’ve got an idea I've been playing with.” And it was the idea of bringing in scientists.

And this started because I'm a scuba diver. I'm a dive instructor and I came to Saba as that, and I was so excited when there was a marine park because every time something was going on on the reef, I'd be like, “Hey, what's all this?” And like, “How can we have so many turtles when we don't have beaches?” So I thought, wouldn't people just like me want to know too? What if we brought in a turtle expert? What if we brought in a sponge expert to better understand why they're reproducing at certain times a year? So that's how Sea & Learn started, and here we are almost 20 years later.

When we bring scientists to the island, we make them work — but we also want them to have fun. So we get a lot of fantastic scientists who may not do this sort of thing everywhere, or might usually require a real speaker fee, but because Saba is a really different destination, they take a second look. Our requirements are that each scientist who comes to the island must do a dynamic nighttime presentation for the audience, and that’s normally every other night at 5:30. So it’s a happy-hour timeframe that’s not taking away from what tourists would normally do on the island, and not stopping someone who lives here from going to work, but it's also done in time to go out to dinner. So part of the reason people love our program is it's a win-win not just for the ecology, but also for the local economy.

The scientists invited are also required to do a community event and to go into our schools, or to take the kids out of school and go into the forest, or on a boat, or to the ocean. So we're trying to give kids other role models, and also teach them that science is fun. And you know, a lot of times we've started with “Well, what do you want to be when you grow up?” And they say, “Oh, I want to be a basketball player, football player.” And by the end they say, “Well hey, a shark scientist is pretty exciting.” So we're trying to give them new role models and help them see that scientists are not just old bald men with thick glasses. They're also women, and people of color and diversity. So it's possible for everyone.

We have a couple of great success stories. We find local families hiking together more, and learning to dive. But the real success stories are some locals that now have jobs in nature. We have a gal who remembers back to a field project she did as a kid with Sea & Learn on bromeliads, and how it inspired her to look at nature. She went on to get a marine biology degree, a master's degree, and she now works for Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and was able to come back to Saba. And we have a few stories like that that of course we're really proud of. We say that if we get through to one kid a year who is a future decision-maker — whether they're going to be a politician, or on a board, or just walking down a trail — and they make their decision differently because of what we expose them to, obviously that's our success.

Another byproduct or value of Sea & Learn is that we try to bring in experts based on news on our island — we try to bring in topics that are relative to what's going on. Oftentimes, we've had the scientists meet with the government. And that's impactful, bringing in real expertise and also their research. We've had a number of expeditions done here. And the rule is always yes, we work with scientists, but you have to share that information because it's valuable to the island and to the region.

The other side of it too is that, you know, we have passion for where we live. We've lived here for over 30 years, and my husband and I, we found a new appreciation for Saba. We don't just walk paths. So for example we always knew there was a tree frog here, but when we had a frog expert come, it was like, oh my God, look at this — and just everything we look at now, whether it's understanding more about the tropic birds or the threat to sharks. I think it's a reason we've stayed here longer, is knowing not just that the island is really special, but also wanting to protect it.