New Cave discovery on San Salvador Island, Bahamas
Mr. Bernier of San Salvador Island, Bahamas along with Dr. John Winters discovered a new cave on San Salvador just recently. The new cave, Bernier Cave is a murderous walk into the interior of the island. At this time, the exact location of the cave will remain a secret. Many of the islands caves have been trampled to death with large groups of people and for the purpose of preserving the cave’s environment from the unintentional deposits of human hair and skin, a major problem in frequently visited caves, we will limit our visits and certainly not advertise this caves location. 
Bernier Cave cannot be entered without a ladder of some kind. The cave is full of bats, a great thing to see since most of the caves are losing their bat population to the screaming, yelling, and camera chasing visitors. If you sense a certain amount of hostility in my writing, I am sorry. A recent field trip to another island brought back with it stories of how scientists were inside a cave casing bats with their cameras. June and July are the months that bats have given birth and are most vulnerable to disturbance. One would expect that educated people would be sensitive to these facts but that seems not to be the case.
Bernier Cave is partially filled with marine water (~half a metre on average). The only dry areas to stand on is right under the entrance and the surrounding rock piles in the caves. A new species of Echinoderm (Brittle Star) has been discovered. The Echinoderm is only about 10 mm in diameter and very, as its name-sack suggests, brittle.
The sediments that have accumulated at the bottom of the cave are covered in microbial mates. The white veil (below) is most likely Beggiatoa, their presences suggesting reducing environments.
The purple colouration of the walls deeper in the cave suggests the presence of purple bacteria as well. Water samples have already been collect for oxygen isotope studies.
In the definition of caves according to Schwabe and Carew, this cave falls under the description of a horizontal cave. It would almost be a mini version of Mermaids Lair on Grand Bahama Island as would the well known Light House Cave on Dixon Hill, San Salvador Island, Bahamas.
Chasing the Rain Water
Currently in Altar Cave, San Salvador Island, Bahamas we are trying to figure out low long it actually takes for rainwater to pass through about 3 metres of rock into Altar cave. It has always been assumed that rainwater makes its way through the rock quickly. Two rain-gauges have been set up; one on top of the cave and the other on top of the largest of stalagmites in Altar, known as the Altar. We know that based on the absence of stalactites in this cave that when rainwater does make it through, it come in large amounts, not allowing the time for stalactites to form, only stalagmites (the ones on the floor).
The units were placed on and in this cave last December and were recently checked this June. So far the surface unit has been triggered because of rain but no water has made it into the cave to trigger the inside unit. In fact, things are very dry in and around the cave. Similar experiments have been done in caves in Florida showing that rainwater takes 2.5 months to make its way through the limestone into the subsurface caves.
Lead (Pb) warning for Dixon Hill Lighthouse, San Salvador, Bahamas
Paint samples were collected last December for Pb analysis and the results show that the paint on the lighthouse, which was painted last summer contains 1,125 mg/kg Pb! This stuff is toxic and would not be allowed to be used in the US. Some lead is used in exterior paints in the US but those levels are not suppose to exceed 60mg/kg. China and India are two places where there is no control on the amount of Pb used in paints. American companies can makes high lead containing paints but they are not allowed to sell it within the US. Unfortunately other countries do buy these products and as a result, poison the people and the land around them. So people visiting this lighthouse not only need to worry about mercury exposure but lead exposure as well.