Beyond The Reef gets by with a little help from the following ...

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Founder   

Beyond The Reef  

Chris is originally from South Africa, but has lived in the BVI for nearly 25 years and owns local companies Commercial Dive Services and We Be Divin'.   

Commercial Dive Services (CDS) has been instrumental in the clean up and salvage of hurricane damaged boats after the devastation caused to the marine sector from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.  Chris also leads CDS on a daily basis in numerous government and private underwater engineering projects as well doing beach reclamation, bathymetric surveys, pipeline installation, underwater welding, chase calls and ship husbandry.  

Chris was heavily involved in the 2017 "Kodiak Queen" artificial reef project and is passionate about continuing BVI's Art Reef through Beyond The Reefs latest projects.  Chris is not only Beyond The Reefs founder, but also its main financial contributor.   

When he isnt sinking ships for fun or salvaging ships for work, Chris can be found diving and exploring the BVI waters. 

Founder  

Beyond The Reef  

Kendyl studied Environmental Science with an emphasis in Ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  While in college, she took a semester off to work at Discovery Channel and realized that she loved the media side of environmental science and the outreach that it could have.  From here, she began her career in documentary filmmaking, particularly specializing in nature, marine, adventure and wildlife and producing shows for networks such as Netflix, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, A&E and others.   

While producing a marine-based show for Travel Channel in the British Virgin Islands she met Chris Juredin and his team at Commercial Dive Services.  Two years and two Category-5 hurricanes later, they teamed up to create Beyond The Reef.  Kendyl handles the creative side while Chris handles the logistics and engineering of actually building and sinking a ship. 

Secretary & 

Ghost Gear team leader

Margy is a Scuba and freediving instructor from South Africa with a love for the ocean and passion for marine conservation! She moved to the BVI in early 2021 and has worked with Beyond The Reef since on SCTLD treatment, shark research, whale research and ghost gear ever since.   

She leads our Ghost Gear and Coastal Clean Up projects and events which have become increasingly popular throughout the community while also acting as board member and Secretary for Beyond The Reef.

Treasurer & 

SCTLD team leader

Laura holds a degree in Oceanography from South Hampton University and has been working in the British Virgin Islands scuba diving and marine science industry for the past 14 years.  Laura assists in all day to day operations of Beyond The Reef and in particular has spearheaded our efforts to treat Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease since it first appeared in the BVI in 2020.

Photographer/Diver    

Even though Alton was born and raised in the British Virgin Islands, it was only several years ago that he learned how to swim.  

Once he got a taste of the underwater world however he couldn't be stopped and has gone on to make scuba diving and underwater photography his primary passions.  As a result, he works with Beyond The Reef on all projects including SCTLD treatment, shark research and whale research.   

In addition to being a physical asset to the team, Alton is also a huge spokesperson for getting Caribbean people involved in the ocean and marine conservation.

Marine Researcher & Cetaceans team leader

Aiara is a diving and Conservation Diver instructor, and holds a master’s degree in Biological Sciences, with a background in marine ecology, conservation, outreach, and management of research expeditions. She is an educator who truly enjoys being involved in science communication initiatives, especially with the local community and kids.

After volunteering in numerous marine research projects in Brazil and contributing for the establishment of a MPA in her hometown, she moved abroad seeking to further her career and explore the underwater world beyond the boundaries. For the past years she has worked with NGOs in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, expanding her expertise on reef fish, invertebrates, corals, sea turtles, sharks, invasive species, and artificial reef habitats. Aiara leads our cetacean research project "Whale Wonders" and is excited to contribute to increasing the knowledge about these animals in the BVI.