For Middle, High School & College

Life in the Abyss Overnight

This overnight adventure combines our popular living systems lab/cruise with activities that explore the fascinating world of deep-sea animal adaptations. Students engage in a cow eye dissection, investigate bioluminescence, draw comparisons between local and deep-sea sharks, observe phototaxis under the squid light, and pilot our ROVs. Aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, participants search for deep diving marine mammals and witness the effects of pressure on Styrofoam cups sunk to 1000 ft. below sea level.
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Island Ecology Safari

Explore island ecosystems and engage in educational activities during the boat crossing to Catalina, on shore, and again at sea as students return to the vessel to spend the night anchored in a serene island cove. Snorkeling, geologic investigations, plant identification, mud flat ecology, dissections, and catch-and-release fishing make this program an action-packed island adventure!
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Catalina Odyssey

Grades 4 - College
Embark on an exciting voyage to Catalina Island! On this dynamic sailing adventure, students are trained to participate as crew of a 100-ton schooner. They explore Catalina Island and surrounding waters while they snorkel, hike, kayak, and live the life of a tall ship sailor. This program is adaptable to fit a variety of curriculum needs including ecology, oceanography, language arts, and social studies.
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Environmental Geology Boat/Lab

Grade 6
Students learn how stream dynamics, erosion processes, and longshore transport and human activities can alter the environment. Aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, they take part in data collection at three designated sample sites. The students examine nitrogen levels, plankton productivity/diversity, and the benthic habitat off Dana Point. Also available as an overnight.
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Sea Floor Explorer Boat/Lab

Grades 6 - 8
Students study the dynamic effects of plate tectonics through the investigation of sea floor geology, sediment cores, microfossils, and underwater seismology. Aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, students get a chance to take part in scientific sampling and exploration. They retrieve a core from a depth of 900ft, sieve sediments for microfossils, survey the sea floor with side-scan sonar, and cruise above the study site with our SeaBotix ROV! Also available as an overnight.
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Advanced Living Systems

Grades 7 - 12
This is an advanced version of our Living Systems program. The lab includes a fish dissection, water chemistry, invertebrate classification, and jelly biology and ocean imbalance. Aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, students examine benthic and pelagic habitats by deploying oceanographic sampling equipment to collect a variety of marine specimens for analysis. Lab and cruise may be booked separately.
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Earth's Changing Climate Lab/Cruise Combo

Grades 8 - College
Be a part of the current and important research on global climate change! In the laboratory, students experiment with concepts of pH, chemical reactions, and density, and delve into micropaleontology and Earth systems. Their investigations explore the role of plate tectonics in ocean currents and global climate, the effect of CO2 emissions on ocean acidity, and the consequences of changing ocean chemistry on marine organisms. Aboard the R/V Sea Explorer, students conduct scientific sampling in an oceanographic study of the Dana Point area. They examine a deep-sea core, complete water chemistry testing, and navigate a research area with our SeaBotix ROV.

Advanced Floating Lab

Grades 9 - College
Student oceanographers apply sampling and research protocols for water chemistry and biological monitoring. Equipment available includes an otter trawl net, plankton net, benthic sampler, water sampling bottles, a bioacoustic array, side scan sonar, CTD water analyzer, and a meteorological station. The course is flexible and can be modified to meet individual teacher requests. For advanced students, an optional research component can be added as students participate in benthic fish counts, plankton photo-microscopy and chlorophyll productivity analysis.
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Advanced Island Ecology Safari

Grades 9 - College
Students focus on the complex relationships that develop within island ecosystems through both natural and human-related processes. Studies include identifying native and introduced plant communities, determining fish populations through catch-and-release fishing or snorkeling, exploring a mudflat ecosystem, and applying oceanographic research protocols to define the marine environment surrounding the island. The course is flexible and can be modified to meet individual teacher requests. Available as a day or overnight program.
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