The Guardian Everton Simpson squints at the Caribbean from his motorboat, scanning the dazzling bands of colour for hints of what lies beneath. Emerald green indicates sandy bottoms. Sapphire blue lies above seagrass meadows. And deep indigo marks coral reefs. That is where he is heading. He steers the boat to an unmarked spot he knows as the “coral nursery”. Simpson started working as a “coral gardener” two years ago as part of grassroots efforts to bring Jamaica’s coral reefs back from the brink.
Forbes I recently spent a week in Turks and Caicos , my first time out of the country since the pandemic hit. Like many Caribbean countries, Turks and Caicos rely almost entirely on tourism to power their economy, so they’re desperate for travelers to return. I’m happy to report that these beautiful beaches felt like an escape from the despair of this global pandemic, and here’s how they are keeping travelers safe.