Why Marmoris? The Importance of Ocean Exploration Across The Caribbean

Throughout the Caribbean lies a vast, largely unexplored frontier - the deep sea. While the region is known globally for its coastal ecosystems, marine biodiversity and oceanic features (e.g. coral reefs, blue holes, deep ocean trenches, etc), the depths below 200 meters remain largely unmapped, understudied, and poorly understood.

Despite the ecological richness of marine ecosystems within the Caribbean, the deep-sea is still shrouded in mystery. Existing data on deep-sea biodiversity, geology, and ocean chemistry across the region is fragmented, and major gaps persist - particularly in the southern and eastern Caribbean. This leaves critical questions on the status, health, and life living within this extreme habitat, still to be answered and much to be explored.

Why the deep sea matters

Deep-sea ecosystems provide vital services to people and planet, such as:

• climate regulation and long-term carbon storage
• supporting fisheries through nutrient cycling
• serving as a natural archive of Earth’s history
• untapped potential for medical and biotechnological discoveries.

Yet, policymakers across the region lack robust and comprehensive data from the deep sea which is essential for sustainable ocean planning and marine protection. 

The Challenge: Limited access and Infrastructure

Most Caribbean countries share common barriers to deep-sea research and exploration.

• High cost of, and limited access to, equipment and technologies needed to survey the deep sea
• Limited funding for research, and lack of necessary infrastructure (e.g. large research vessels)
• Scarce in-country capacity to study and monitor the deep sea
• Fragmented, outdated or inaccessible data sets

These challenges make it difficult to effectively study and sustainably monitor the deep ocean, address environmental threats, and implement ocean-related policies that include the deep sea. 

The Solution: Innovative technologies for ocean exploration and capacity building

Today, a wide range of tools exist to reach and study the deep, and can be adapted to small island states. 

• Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs)
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)
• Deep-sea sensors, cameras and lander systems

What’s missing is accessibility and capacity. 

Marmoris is helping to bridge this gap. We focus on exploration that is:

• Accessible to small island developing states, through our suite of commercially sourced deep-sea imaging and mapping systems
• Collaborative across countries and sectors
• Locally-led, with training for Caribbean scientists and communities

By shining a light on the region's deep ocean habitats and biodiversity, Marmoris aims to improve decision making, empower Caribbean nations, and aid in protecting this vital part of our planet.

Unlocking locally-led ocean exploration across the Caribbean

Exploring and understanding our deep ocean is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.  At Marmoris, we envision a Caribbean region equipped to lead the discovery of their own deep-sea frontiers. With the right tools and capacity in place, the region can: 

• Comprehensively survey and monitor deep-sea ecosystems
• Develop effective national and regional ocean policies
• Protect critical habitats 
• Showcase global leadership in ocean conservation and climate action

Caribbean nations are already leading by example

Several countries across the Caribbean have already demonstrated how science-based insights can drive transformative ocean policy. 

• The Bahamas established itself as a global leader in shark conservation by creating a national shark sanctuary in 2011—a decision informed by growing ecological and economic data on the importance of sharks to reef health and ecotourism. 
• Belize imposed a permanent moratorium on offshore oil exploration in its waters in 2017, citing potential risks to the Belize Barrier Reef and national livelihoods. 
• Barbados has advanced its Blue Economy strategy with a marine spatial planning initiative designed to guide sustainable management and development. 

These milestones exemplify the bold, forward-thinking ocean policies that result when Caribbean countries are equipped with the relevant data. Expanding this approach to include the deep ocean—still largely absent from these decisions—can unlock even greater opportunities for conservation, sustainable use, and regional leadership in ocean governance.

Join us on our journey

At Marmoris, we are committed to exploration that empowers, informs and connects. We know that meaningful ocean science and long lasting conservation across the region must be led from within. We invite you to follow along as we begin our journey of innovative, locally-led and collaborative ocean exploration throughout the Caribbean. 

Learn more about our work and connect with Marmoris here.