2018
THE BEGINNING
Annie and Tristan standing on the property dock, July 2018.
Tristan visited Andros in February 2018 and was beyond excited by what the island had to offer. Thick mangroves, mysterious blue holes, one of the largest fringing reefs in the world, silky sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, tiger sharks, great hammerheads and so much more. He was completely taken with Andros and immediately called his wife Annie to express his excitement about what he’d discovered. Whilst on the island, Tristan had stumbled upon a property just next door to his accommodation and found himself fantasizing about transforming it into a shark research station. He sent Annie endless photos and videos, including one of him standing on a run-down dock stating, ‘We should build a research station here!’.
Fast forward a few months to July when Annie and Tristan both arrive on Andros, this time to explore the island together with new and old friends. The group explored everything from the shallow sand flats to the depths of the Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) and were rewarded with some unforgettable moments and experiences including a dive with silky sharks. The Saving the Blue logo was designed based on a photo Annie took that day. The couple stood together on the same dock Tristan had seen for the first time just a few months before, imagining what could be and visualizing the incredible possibilities.
2018-2019
The birth of saving the blue
The first shark ever caught and tagged in Andros by Annie and Tristan.
During this time, Annie and Tristan created and established their non-profit, Saving the Blue. The couple started to visit Andros regularly with teams of people, to conduct shark and ray research in addition to visiting schools and supporting outreach within the local community. As the couple’s experience on the island grew, so did their love for it. As they conducted important and valuable research, they found shark hotspots and uncovering some of Andros’s secrets, including the discovery that some hammerheads live year-round in Andros, the opposite of previously published work in The Bahamas. Other surprises included an extremely rare oar fish sighting, a number of Caribbean reef sharks resting in blue holes, sawfish, and a sperm whale sighting to name just a few. The potential on and around Andros felt limitless.
2020-2021
OFFER ACCEPTED
Tristan and Annie introduce the property to their children.
As Annie and Tristan moved through 2020, their dream of building a research station became a reality. In November of that year, their offer on the property was accepted! It was an incredibly exciting and challenging time, as like most permitting and legal processes, things moved slowly. The couple pushed forward with what felt like endless paperwork, whilst balancing the ongoing goals and pressures of the nonprofit.
2022-2024
OUTREACH AND RESEARCH BOOMED
One of many big sharks tagged by the Saving the Blue team.
The couple continued to work hard on the island, and as Saving the Blue grew, so did their impact. More sharks were tagged and sampled, more schools visited, scientific findings were published, documentaries were recorded and countless beaches were cleaned. The team were making amazing progress, but the five years of slow property development was taking a toll, and Annie and Tristan questioned if their research station would ever truly become a reality.
2025+
Time to get to work
One of thirteen buildings that need to be removed.
The first six months of 2025 seemed like they were near to closing on the property, but they’d felt like that many times before so never fully allowed themselves to get too excited. Then, however, they finally got the call, the property deal was done! At last, Annie and Tristan could carve a path for their research station hopes and dreams to finally become a reality. With minds and hearts in overdrive, they could finally start planning! Their final plans for the next 12-18 months can be found HERE and they truly hope you choose to support Saving the Blue in any way you can. This website was created and is dedicated to the journey of the first and only Shark Research Station on Andros, we hope you enjoy the ride.
If you would like to learn more about our property goals please CLICK HERE or to donate please CLICK HERE
Gratitude must go to so many individuals and organizations that supported and believed in us from the beginning. It took far longer than we’d hoped, but we’re here now and we’re only just getting started. Thank you to all (mentioned and not) who’ve been with us since day one, we can not thank you enough.
