Boathouse Expansion Project Well Underway

Opened in 2008, the Sydney C. DeVos Dive Center is one of the most frequently utilized buildings on The Cape Eleuthera Island School (CEIS) campus, providing services to all of The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute waterfront activities. Whether gearing up for an early morning freedive, prepping for a day of research on the nearby patch reefs or meeting before a late afternoon trip to the sandbar, the boathouse is at the heart of the adventure. We maintain a fleet of nine motorboats for SCUBA and research activities, 27 kayaks and two sailboats for expeditionary programming and an outdoor community space for presentations and lectures. The building boasts a 7.6 kilowatt solar array that is composed of 40 190-watt monocrystalline photovoltaic modules on the south facing roof. This array is used as both a teaching tool as well as to produce renewable energy for our campus, including the SCUBA air compressor, which refills over 400 SCUBA tanks per week during its busy periods such as The Island School SCUBA Certification Week.

As CEIS has seen exceptional growth in these past few years, the boathouse resources have seen an increasing amount of stress. With ground broken in January 2018, this long awaited expansion will provide an additional 1100 square feet of space to allow for expanded equipment storage and maintenance space as well as increased outdoor capacity for community gatherings and class time. With a new name, the Sydney C. DeVos Center for Exploration is expected to be finished by Summer 2018, just in time for our summer programs to enjoy it!