Aquanauts Grenada Launches “Roots-to-Reef Retreats” at DEMA Show 2025
A transformative new travel model, the Roots-to-Reef Retreat, is redefining sustainable tourism in the Caribbean. Developed by Aquanauts Grenada, the 2025 Caribbean Hotel &
Tourism Association’s Overall Winner for the Coral Reef Tourism Stewardship Award, the
initiative bridges the connection between land and sea, showing how sustainability becomes meaningful action from the mountaintop to the reef.
Unlike a single eco-tour, Roots-to-Reef Retreats offer immersive, customizable, weeklong itineraries that guide participants through Grenada’s seven interconnected ecosystems in partnership with the small businesses, community groups, and culture bearers who care for them.
Participants have the opportunity to:
Dive or snorkel alongside conservation professionals
Join invasive Lionfish removal or reef monitoring citizen science initiatives
Harvest and prepare Grenada’s national dish, Oil Down, with regenerative farmers
Hike to a waterfall while learning about local plants and wildlife
Learn herbal and Ital wellness practices from cultural leaders Explore mangrove and seagrass restoration sites
These experiences combine to form fully customizable dive group travel and retreats, ranging from wellness and cultural immersion to scientific diving and conservation training.
“Roots-to-Reef is not a tour, it’s a framework,” says Tiffany Geer, Director of Aquanauts Grenada and Co-Founder of HydroSoul. “It demonstrates how island communities can build regenerative travel models that honor culture, restore ecosystems, and support local livelihoods.”
Grounded in the Rastafarian principle of Ital—living simply, naturally, and in harmony with the Earth—the Roots-to-Reef Program highlights how actions at the mountain top influence the mangroves, shape the reefs, and ultimately sustain community well-being and ocean health.
The international dive and travel community will be the first to preview the full Roots-to-Reef Retreat program framework during Tiffany Geer’s DEMA presentation:
“Roots to Reef – A Holistic Approach to Sustainable Tourism” Tuesday, November 11
10:00 AM – 10:50 AM
DEMA Show, Orlando – Room W303C
Sponsored by Deep Blue Adventures
During this session, attendees will discover:
