Bahamas News
Beneath the Waves, Shark Week Crew Filming in Nassau with Stuart Cove Dive, Country superstar Brad Paisley playing for the science underlying stunner
#TheBahamas, July 7, 2021 – Producers, film makers, divers and support crew fanned out across the waters off the southwest coast of New Providence recently, shooting footage for Shark Week that will air the second week in July captivating viewers in up to 88 million homes and multiple platforms in 224 countries.
The episode shot in The Bahamas featuring local divers and marine scientists like Dr. Austin Gallagher (Beneath the Waves) will air on the Discovery Channel July 13.
Headlined “The Science of Sound” it explores sharks’ reactions to the sound of music, country music in particular, thanks to the picking, plunking, playing and familiar voice of country superstar Brad Paisley who added star power to what is likely to be cone of the most watched TV shows of the year. Paisley played live on the dive boat, with his recordings lowered by divers through underwater sonar equipment and moved with them as they swam and interacted with dozens of curious nurse and reef sharks. A diver himself, the singer-songwriter spent two days experiencing the deep with local divers like Kareem Bethell and Tyson Smith.
Stuart Cove Dive provided vessels and dive gear. And every minute was filled with action. Two cameras topside, two below. Drones. For every diver, a buddy, for every producer, a back-up with a different set of eyes. Audio. Standby medical, head of emergency room operations at a major health system with his 80-lb case of everything that matters right down to a watch-size scanner capable of following the movements of internal parts. The budget for the single episode — whopping and undisclosed. But consider this: Local divers, dive boats, nearly a week of filming, executive and line producers from as far away as L.A. who also do NatGeo, Netflix, the History Channel, HGTV and the Food Network. The goal – to shoot 100% of the episode, all 43 minutes, 20 seconds of non-advertising footage, right there, where we are today off New Providence and near where they have been all week. The result: Nearly perfect, they got 98%.
“It’s a great place to shoot,” a producer tells me. “It’s safe, it’s easy to get to not like some of the places we have to do that are far out from land over fairly treacherous seas, and celebrities love it here.”
When it comes to what it takes to make Shark Week filming work, Stuart Cove is up to the task, running back and forth to deliver another diver, a different camera, to take someone off the vessel who has to get to the airport. You’d think the half hour run out to the deep would get old, but it never does.
“We have been working with Shark Week every year since the first episode was filmed in The Bahamas in 1988. And every year I think what can Discovery Channel do to top this and the next year they come up with something even more interesting or scientifically important,” says Cove, who founded and operates the country’s largest world-renowned dive business. This year, he had an additional hand, his son, Travis, a diver turned actor who doubled for another in the show.
Cove, a director of Save The Bays and active in coral reef preservation, believes Shark Week has helped sensitize the public to the value of sharks. “Jaws made us afraid, Shark Week makes us understand. Presenting the real true story of the value of sharks helps us appreciate the important role they play in the marine eco-system.”
Dr. Gallagher agrees.
“Marine scientists, including myself, give The Bahamas great credit for the country’s shark sanctuary legislation,” said Gallagher, who has been exploring and documenting marine resources in The Bahamas for more than a decade and says there is no body of water comparable to it. A proponent of naming the waters the Lucayan Sea, he cites the statistic that an individual is more likely to be struck by lightning twice than to be bitten by a shark.
“Research which we have helped contribute to demonstrates that tragically, unlike The Bahamas, there are countries where greed and avarice create a shark fin trade that claims fins from up to 73 million sharks a year,” says Dr. Gallagher, who talks respectfully of the marine creatures he has just been swimming with as he peels off a standard wet suit and unloads his dive gear from the second dive of the afternoon. “And while The Bahamas is protecting sharks and as you can see, the population out here today is healthy and active and non-threatening, sharks in many places elsewhere continue to be threatened and that is heart-breaking for anyone who studies their role in the marine eco-system.”
A Discovery Channel press release on Shark Week says a study published in Nature magazine earlier this year found that oceanic sharks and rays declined by at least 71% since 1970.
Shark Week, Discovery Channel’s most popular program, will run from Sunday, July 11 through Sunday, July 18 with the Bahamas episode on the third night, Tuesday. Discovery Channel dubs its 2021 shows a ‘jawesome lineup’ beginning with a docu-series and includes, in addition to Brad Paisley, William Shatner, JB Smoove, Tiffany Haddish and others with celebrities diving alongside marine biologists and representatives from respected science institutes like Beneath the Waves and Oceana.
Shark Week 2021 precedes the Summer Olympics and, says Discovery Channel, promises “to deliver all-new groundbreaking shark stories revealing remarkable insights into the mysterious world of these magnificent creatures.”
By Diane Phillips
Header: Producers, directors, camera and drone crew, local divers and marine scientists pile aboard a Stuart Cove Dive vessel ready to shoot another day of what will be the July 13 episode of Shark Week.
1st insert: Kareem Bethell, one of several Bahamian divers, stars in Shark Week July 13 on the Discovery Channel.
2nd insert: Ready, set, almost – A quiet moment in Coral Harbour in New Providence, Bahamas, waiting for action to start are front row David Harris and Dr. Austin Gallagher, Beneath the Waves and back row Diane Phillips, writer, and businessman Mario Carey who turned a passion for diving into a plea to save marine resources of The Bahamas and is raising funds to help monitor the waters.
3rd insert: Top Bahamian dive expert Andre Musgrove directs film crew including marine scientist Dr. Austin Gallagher and Dr. Erica Staaterman, a marine bioacoustics expert with the Department of Interior, as they prepare for the second dive of the day filming the Shark Week episode The Science of Sound. Shark Week runs July 11-18 on the Discovery Channel with the episode shot in The Bahamas set to air on the 13th
Nassau, Bahamas, 22 September 2026 – Six Bahamians whose service is making a difference in communities across the country were recently celebrated by CIBC Caribbean as the bank brought together its top 2026 Unsung Heroes finalists for a special recognition event.
The 2026 finalists were Kristin Butler-Beneby, Dinola Williamson, Amanda Knowles, Tamara Clarke, Ruth Fawkes, and Jaquay Adderley.
During the event, CIBC Caribbean also announced Dinola Williamson as the first runner-up in this year’s program. Williamson is an educator and community activist who has spent more than two decades in education and leads the Family Better Together Kabbalistic Kids Club. Her community work has reached children in Englerston, Fox Hill, Acklins, Crooked Island, and Grand Bahama through mentorship and activities designed to support their holistic development.
CIBC Caribbean Head of Country Terrance Gibson said the gathering was intentionally focused on celebrating the collective impact of the finalists.
“Unsung Heroes is about recognizing the people who may not always receive the spotlight, but whose commitment is felt every day in the lives of the people and communities they serve,” he said.
“While Kristin emerged as our 2026 Unsung Hero, and Dinola as our runner-up, each nominee represents the spirit of this program. They
saw needs in their communities and made the decision to act, to serve, and to keep showing up. CIBC Caribbean is proud to recognize them and to help bring greater attention to the work they are doing.”
The recognition event also brought together members of the judging panel who reviewed this year’s nominations and selected the program’s honorees. The panel comprised Olympic gold medalist Tonique Williams, Bahamas Red Cross President Edison Sumner, Guardian Lifestyles Editor Shavaughn Moss, and Organization for Responsible Governance Executive Director Matt Aubry.
During the event, each finalist spoke about the community work that led to their nomination. The judges were also recognized for lending their time and expertise to the selection process.
Gibson added, “Recognition is important, but we also hope that sharing these stories encourages others to look around their own communities, see where they can make a difference, and act.
“Our Unsung Heroes remind us that meaningful change often begins with an individual who simply decides to help.”
Bahamas News
Public Hospitals Authority Foundation Donates Dialysis Machines to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH)
The Bahamas, September 21, 2026 – The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Foundation, a philanthropic organization launched in January 2024 to support public hospitals and healthcare clinics, donated eight additional dialysis machines for the PMH Renal Services unit.
Director of Foundations, Corporate and Community Relations for the Public Hospitals Authority and Executive Director of the foundation,
Alana Major, said this initiative is a part of the foundation’s “Sun, Sea and Second Chances” campaign. PHA Foundation aims to secure 30 machines for Princess Margaret Hospital.
“As of today, with this donation, we are now up to 15 machines, so we are very excited about that,” Ms. Major said.
Other members of the foundation were present, including PHA Foundation Chairman Mr. Selvin Basden, who said the foundation is committed to doing its part in fulfilling the mandate of the Government of the Bahamas.
“One of the tenets of the Government is to ensure that access to healthcare is a human right. We are committed to ensuring that, at least from our part, we can deliver on that principle,” Mr. Basden said.
The PMH Renal Services Unit dialyzes about 150 to 170 patients annually. The unit provides care for patients who have been diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease and now need renal support. Patients who receive dialysis typically come to the unit three times a week, either on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule or a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule.
Head of Department for Renal Services, Dr. Thurston Carroll, said she and the unit are excited to receive the donation, as it will replace
machines that are not operating optimally.
“We are particularly excited about today’s donation because, although we have 20 stations within the dialysis unit, we have an aging fleet. These new machines and new water-treatment equipment will allow us to replace some of our aging equipment so that we can continue providing services to our patients.”
Foundation representatives noted that one or two organizations are already considering making bulk donations and if it happens, the foundation may be able to secure another 10 machines or another five machines in the very near future.
PMH Deputy Hospital Administrator Angelica Lockhart-Bastian and Hospital Administrator Mr. Tevard Bastian thanked the PHA Foundation for its donation to Princess Margaret Hospital.
Also in attendance were PHA Foundation Deputy Chairman Dr. Erecia Hepburn; Foundation guest Dr. Maria Oriakhi; Chief Biomedical Engineer Mr. Theodore Nottage; Administrative Officer Ms. Appapisa Neely; and Senior Assistant Hospital Administrator Mr. Valdez Bowe.
By Christina Williams
Bahamas Information Services
BIS Photos/Mark Ford
PHOTO CAPTION:
Group Photo, from left:
– Dr. Rhea Thurston Carroll, Director, Renal Services, PMH
– Nurse Kim Harris, Dialysis Nurse, Dialysis Unit, PMH
– Sister Darnell Roker, Nurse Manager, Dialysis Unit, PMH
– Mrs. Angelica Lockhart-Bastian, Deputy Hospital Administrator PMH
– Mr. Tevard Bastian, Hospital Administrator PMH
– Mrs. Alana Major, Director, Foundations, Community and Corporate Relations, PHA
– Mr. Selvin Basden, Chairman, PHA Foundation
– Dr. Erecia Hepburn, PHA Foundation Board
– Ms. Donette Danvers, Executive Assistant, Foundations, Community and Corporate Relations, PHA
Miami, Florida – Director of Aviation and Deputy Director General of Tourism, Dr. Kenneth Romer was presented with The 2025-2026 Infrastructure Leadership MVP Award, during the 10th Annual Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF) held in Miami September 15-16, 2026.
According to event organizers, New Energy Events, the MVP Leadership Award is the highest individual honor in the industry and is
presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional, strategic and visionary leadership in advancing infrastructure in the Caribbean. Chosen by an independent jury of regional industry leaders, “The recipient is recognized for their sustained impact, influence across sectors, and dedication to driving meaningful progress in policy, investment, or project delivery”, said Event Organizers.
Romer becomes only the third person from the Region, and the first from The Bahamas to receive the Leadership MVP Award, joining last year’s winner The Honourable Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.
Represented among the Conference Speakers and present at the Award Ceremony was Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation, The Honourable JoBeth Coleby-Davis, who said that, “This award amplifies The Bahamas Government’s commitment to executing a vision that sets the benchmark for infrastructural investments opportunities across our archipelago while supporting exemplary Bahamian leaders like Dr. Romer, who are steering the Caribbean toward more resilient, investable, and innovative infrastructure”.
“While this award is deemed an individual honor, it is a recognition of the Bahamas’ position as a respected regional leader and more so, a
reflection of the incredible talent that resides within our small, but indomitable nation that continues to punch above its weight class as the world marks the manner of our bearing”, said Dr. Romer.
Dr. Romer has been instrumental in driving post-pandemic tourism recovery alongside the transformation of airports across the Family Islands through the Government’s landmark Family Islands Renaissance initiative. Under his leadership as Director of Aviation and Deputy Director General of Tourism, the sector has embraced a strategic, forward-looking approach focused on modernizing over 19 runways and terminals, strengthening safety and resilience, expanding international and regional connectivity, and leveraging public-private partnerships to deliver world-class facilities.
Dr. Romer’s work has helped translate the National Aviation Strategic Plan into tangible infrastructure projects that are creating new opportunities for tourism, investment, entrepreneurship and economic growth across the archipelago.
In 2025, he became the first person from the Caribbean and LATAM Region to be appointed to the Board of the International Association of Airports Executives.
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