Benefits Of Bringing Your Students To Sea Camp on Catalina Island

January 9, 2019 Office Catalina Island, Marine Biology, Science Camp

There is nothing like a class trip to Catalina Island to learn about marine biology and experience one of the most precious natural resources in California. The benefits of bringing your class to one of MSA’s programs are endless, but we thought we would take the time to highlight a few of the main one’s here…

Benefit No 1: Learning To Think Like A Scientist

Bringing your students to Catalina Island with Mountain and Sea Adventures (MSA) gives them a personal encounter with the marine environment in such a way that enriches their understanding of applying the scientific method for field research.

The first class your students attend is an introduction to setting up and keeping a field journal to record their data, observations and ideas. This field journal stays with them for each and every class as they go through the program, from fish lab to bird lab – they are utilizing their journals to think like a scientist and engage in their natural surroundings like a scientist.

By the end of the trip the field journal has become a valuable part of the trip and we have found that many students develop a close bond with it, empowering them to continue pursuing their newfound love and appreciation for natural sciences.

Benefit No 2: Improving Self Esteem And Confidence

There is no doubt that coming to youth camp on Catalina improves student’s self image and self-esteem. They are confronted with personal challenges and lead by the MSA staff to face their fears and persevere to make personal breakthrough. Nearly every student has some form of aversion or fear to one aspect of camp or another, facing these fears and achieving victory over them greatly improves confidence.

The MSA staff direct the students to cheer and encourage one another at all times and build each other up whenever possible. This empowers each participant to step outside of their comfort zone and make enormous strides towards overcoming their own personal challenges and proving to themselves what they are capable of when they believe in themselves.

In this way, a camp program like MSA builds up the morale and solidarity of your entire class, who have many unique opportunities to learn, play and explore the awe inspiring natural environment of Catalina Island together.

Benefit No 3: Developing A Personal Passion For Ocean Stewardship

MSA’s proximity to the Ocean gives you the perfect opportunity to expose your students to the incredible beauty of the marine environment. We offer your students several classes about Ocean stewardship, in which they first learn about the threats and challenges to the Ocean and then get the chance to brainstorm possible alternatives and solutions.

By giving your students a first-hand experience of the marine environment you are imparting a personal love and appreciation for the Ocean like no other means can. When they put on a wetsuit, mask and snorkel and put their faces under the surface of the water for their first time – they are immediately inducted into another world of mesmerizing natural beauty.

People protect what they love, and the best way to ensure that our future generations will have a passion for protecting the marine environment is to give them the personal experiences which nurture that love.

This is the mission of MSA: To teach outdoor education in a manner that increases awareness of the environment, raises the spirit of participants, and builds character. If you are interested in bringing your class to one of our programs, please contact a representative today at, (310) 519-3172 ext 980.

A New Marine Biology Program For Youth in LA Harbor

January 9, 2019 Office Environmental Science, Field Trips, Marine Biology

The Ocean is one of Los Angeles County’s most precious and valuable resources. This is also one of the most threatened and vital ecosystems on our planet, bringing your class or group to a marine biology field trip imparts a personal passion and love for Ocean environmental stewardship.

Marine Biology Field Trips in California

Mountain and Sea Adventures (MSA) are now offering educational marine biology field trips in California. Located in the Port of Los Angeles, MSA is providing quality hands-on experiences for youth to explore the marine environment and develop a personal love and appreciation for the Ocean.

MSA offers a life-changing program combining outdoor education with adventure activities unlike any other in southern California. A marine biology field trip with the class is an exciting opportunity for each participant, who has the unique opportunity to develop new aspects of them self as they interact with a new environment.

Fun And Educational Shipboard Programs

The Enhydra is MSA’s hundred-and-twelve foot marine research vessel located in San Pedro, California. Field trips onboard the Enhydra are an excellent way to give your class or group an intimate encounter with the Ocean as we explore the Channel Island, Santa Catalina or a day trip program around coastal southern California.

Students participate in a variety of marine biology activities such as plankton trawls, and microscopes lab, water analysis, snorkeling at exotic locations around Catalina, and bird lab explorations of the coastline via kayaks.

Accommodations onboard are comfortable and leisurely. There are 19 private staterooms each with two beds, restroom with shower, sink and toilet, as well as a dresser and under bed storage.

The Enhydra also has a professional full-size galley allowing our chefs to prepare gourmet freshly prepared meals made from scratch.

You and your participants may find the ship so comfortable that you never want to leave!

Day And Overnight Dockside Programs

MSA has also started offering day programs and overnight dockside programs where the ship stays at pot for the entire duration of the program. This allows for those schools and youth groups on a tighter budget to still have an incredible experience onboard a marine research vessel as we engage in the marine environment through hands-on activities.

Want to learn more about our one-of-a-kind science programs? Give us a call Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5PM at: (310) 519-3172 ext 980

The Most Adventurous and Educational Field Trips in California

October 5, 2018 Office California, Field Trips, Marine Biology

Mountain and Sea Adventures (MSA) specializes in hands-on field trips in California, teaching your students how to use a field journal to gain a practical understanding of the scientific method and how to apply it. The combination of learning science while having fun in the great outdoors makes MSA the best educational experience for your class.

MSA’s program focuses on building core altruistic character traits, as they immerse themselves in the inspiriting world of natural sciences. Stay onboard the Enhydra, a 112 foot marine research vessel, or bring your class to camp at Catalina Island for an experience of their lives!

Highlights of MSA’s Educational Program:

Hands-on field science activities
Each student learns to keep a field journal and participate in actual on-going marine science research projects.
Passionate staff and instructors.
Over 20 years experience running marine biology sea camps on Catalina Island!
NEW! Live aboard program: ‘Floating Sea Camp’!

STEM Educational Field Trips In Los Angeles

For teachers looking for the best educational field trips emphasizing STEM education, MSA is a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse your students in the world of marine biology and oceanography. With multiple locations around Los Angeles, you have a wide variety of options to choose from. A class field trip imparts a deep appreciation and love for science, which will remain with your students for a lifetime!

With STEM education becoming increasingly more valued and emphasized, an outdoor educational field trip to Catalina Island, or onboard the Enhydra, provides students with an incredible resource to ignite their passion for science. Once they have a profound personal experience via studying the natural world through the scientific method, then they are well on their way to dreaming big and planning for higher education.

One-Of-A-Kind Homeschool Field Trips California!

MSA has programs for classes and groups of all sizes. From multiple classes from the same school, to church youth groups, and even smaller home school field trips. Califronia has a lot to offer educators, with the ocean environment being one of the most unique resources of all. Come for a day trip to the local tidepools around Los Angeles, or board our ship for an overnight educational experience to Catalina Island.

MSA can customize your trip to match the specific needs of your class and each student. With twenty years of experience running outdoor educational programs around southern California, MSA makes your class and homeschool field trips a learning adventure that will impart each participant with a personal passion for the marine environment.

Life Transforming Marine Science Summer Camps for Youth in California

July 5, 2017 Superadmin California, Catalina Island, Marine Biology, Science Camp

Marine Science Summer Camps in California

Mountain and Sea Adventures offers the most interactive and inspiring marine science summer camps in California. Our hands-on field activities reinforce what they have been learning in class through the year, and impart a personal experience of field science, which acts as the foundation for a deeper appreciation for the wonderful world of marine biology and oceanography. This kid of one-on-one encounter with the natural world and resulting love for science is something that cannot be replicated inside the classroom.

Marine Biology Camps in California

When you arrive at camp Emerald Bay, at the west side of Santa Catalina Island, your life is changed forever. There is no going back. Each person who attends is deeply impacted by the raw beauty of nature that surrounds them, and the endless opportunities to develop themselves, which the program affords.

The location of Emerald Bay makes it a unique location for studying marine biology. Camps in California are a dime a dozen, but only one gives you and your students the opportunity to not only visit, but live at the most desirable location on Catalina Island, camp Emerald Bay with Mountain and Sea Adventures!

Campers learn to keep a field journal, and to conduct actual field science during their camp activities. After trawling for plankton on board our pontoon boat, campers look at their samples under high-powered microscopes in the multi million-dollar research center, The Pennington Marine Science Center. There are no other marine biology camps in California that offer so much to local schools and their students!

Oceanography summer camps

During the summer, when schools are not in session, the MSA staff launches our summer program on board our hundred and twelve foot marine research vessel, The Enhydra! This vessel is a floating hotel with all the gear and equipment necessary for the best oceanography summer camp of your life!

Summer Floating Sea Camp program activities include:

Jumping off the top deck of the ship!
Discover scuba diving
Surfing on the backside of the island
Live on board a mini cruise ship.
Study marine biology and Oceanography
Hike, snorkel, kayak, and play together in the water!

Life Transforming Programs for Kids

Being outside of your comfort zones gives you the unique opportunity to push your self to achieve greater heights, to develop various qualities and traits (some of which you may never have known you had!), and to make friendships that often last a life time!

Although it is the time of your life, MSA’s program is challenging – without a doubt! However, it is this opportunity to challenge your self, face your fears and achieve personal victory that makes this program so life transforming.

For the MSA Staff, teaching good solid marine science is important, and we are passionate about it, but not nearly as passionate as we are about building character in youth and helping each individual child expand their horizons and demonstrate to them selves that they are capable of greater than what they had previously thought possible.

Marine Science Adventures in The Matchless Beauty of Catalina Island

Catalina Island is one of the greatest resources for Californians, with miles of breathtaking and undeveloped coastline, remote beaches, hidden sea caves, sandy beaches, and endless island ecosystems.

Just coming to the island imparts a deep personal love and passion for the marine environment. Activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, trawling for plankton and hiking the various trails of the island, give students the opportunity to take what they have learned in the brief lecture before hand and use the scientific method to conduct their own actual field research.

At the end of each program activity campers are encouraged to develop a hypothesis and to observe the findings in their field journals to conclude their thoughts.

Celebrating 20 years of outdoor education, Mountain and Sea Adventures inspires thousands of youth to become environmental stewards and world changers every year. You can attend one of our programs as a school, small or large group, family or individual! No matter where you attend one of our programs you can look forward to an educational adventure you and your group will remember for a life time!

Marine Biology Camps on Catalina Island California

September 19, 2016 Superadmin Catalina Island, Marine Biology, Science Camp

The Most Desirable Cove on Catalina: Camp Emerald Bay

Emerald Bay is on the west end of the island and is home to one of the most popular marine biology camps on Catalina, run by Mountain and Sea Adventures. This cove is naturally protected by a small point and rocky reefs, creating a safe and calm estuary for marine life to thrive. The gentle ocean conditions allow campers with limited experience swimming to safely enjoy such activities as snorkeling, kayaking, and free time playing on the beach.

The facilities at Emerald Bay make it among the most elite marine biology camps on Catalina, with a fully functional salt water aquarium allowing campers to see more than four various local marine ecosystems, as well as the opportunity to pet a shark or ray in the shark touch tanks!

The very first activity upon arriving at class teaches students how to use a field journal and begin organizing their field research notes to form their own hypothesis and conclusions. Each class has a lecture phase and a corresponding field activity, allowing campers to develop a personal understanding and love for the world of natural sciences.

Upon stepping off the boat, students are immediately surrounded in an the awe and beauty of one of California’s most cherished natural resources. The Channel Islands are only a short boat ride away from southern California coastal communities, but is so undeveloped and abundant in wildlife that it feels as if they have arrived to a distant and remote island paradise!

Emerald Bay is the most remote camp on the island and the furthest camp towards the west end. Which means campers staying here often see a lot of wild life, from deer to bison and the endemic Island Fox, found only on Catalina! Also frequently seen are bald and golden eagles, and a plethora of marine mammals, sea birds and other forms of both terrestrial and marine life.

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Marine Biology Science Camp at Emerald Bay, Catalina Island

July 18, 2016 Superadmin Catalina Island, Marine Biology, Science Camp

Emerald Bay – The Most Prestigious Cove On Catalina Island

Hidden away on the west end of Catalina Island is Emerald Bay, the most desired destination on the island for yachters, divers, campers and nature enthusiasts alike. Emerald Bay has a wide diversity of island terrain and ecosystems. The cove itself is protected by a small point and rocky reef, with a few tiny little islands in the middle of the cove giving boaters protection from the ocean surge. There are multiple small sandy beaches, which are estuaries and habitats for various marine birds and island wildlife.

The Boy Scout camp at Emerald Bay serves as MSA’s premiere location for conducting outdoor education science camps on Catalina Island. Every week hundreds of school groups from across the southland are ferried in by boat from across the channel. During their time at camp students experience a wide variety of marine science activities such as trawling for plankton and then observing their findings under high-powered microscopes, squid dissections, kayaking, snorkeling and more. Each student gets the chance to live as field biologist and conduct actual field science research at one of the most beautiful locations in California.

MSA’s Marine Biology Camp Program At Emerald Bay

Emerald Bay is an incredible place to come for marine biology camp, students often time see more ocean wildlife just on the ferry over than in their entire life time. While traveling across the channel, campers get to see sea lions, dolphins and often times even grey and blue whales. Once they arrive at camp students are first taught how to keep a field journal as well as how to implement the scientific method for developing a hypothesis during their camp activities. The field journal becomes a treasured part of their camp experience, allowing them to develop their ideas and experiences during each program activity. The value of learning to keep a field journal is immense, as it takes the ideals of science from an impersonal academic subject to a living breathing aspect of their every day lives which they can use to immerse themselves deeper and deeper in the natural world. Now campers have learned to see the world through the eyes of a marine biologist, and have gained an appreciation for the scientific method and how to implement it for their own investigations.

A Unique Island Experience At Two Harbors, Catalina

For those groups looking for a less rustic and remote camp experience, the nearby island village of Two Harbors, Catalina, is a perfect compromise allowing access to a restaurant, general store and other facilities. Two Harbors has a beautiful long natural sandy beach with multiple snorkeling destinations offering a wide diversity of the marine life of Catalina. Two Harbors is also home to USC’s Wrigley Marine Institute, which has salt-water aquariums and the oldest protected cove on the island. MSA’s special arrangement with USC allows students to visit their resources and facilities for a unique marine biology experience.

Two Harbors is easily accessible by ferry and is one of the lesser known about treasures of Catalina Island. Conveniently located at the isthmus, the back side of the island is less than half a mile away! The cove on back-side of Two Harbors is called Catalina Cove, and is home to the largest mud flats ecosystem in the Channel Island. This is a great place to come study the benthic marine animals, birds, rays and skates, and other marine animals that live in this natural estuary.

Why Bring Your Class To Catalina Island Science Camp

Science camp at Catalina Island is one the most cherished educational experiences youth experience during their academic careers. The memories they make during their time at camp enriches their lives and stays with them forever. Many times we hear back from students whom have gone through one of our programs to learn that they were inspired to become marine biologists or other high science professionals. This kind of amazing feedback is what we live for at MSA!

There is definitely something magical about the time youth spend at Catalina Island science camp, where they are safe to just be a kid and discover the natural world around them and all it’s wonder and beauty. It’s not always easy to remember the various lessons learned at school, but the lessons and experiences had at science camp consistently remain one of the greatest highlights and inspirational moments ever have.

Understanding The Threat To Californias Kelp Forests

June 16, 2016 Superadmin Environmental Science, Marine Biology

Although not many residents of California are currently aware, there are major concerns regarding the vanishing kelp forests, which are one the most important marine ecosystems and habitats.

Giant kelp is a type of brown algae that grows above rocky reefs typically no more deep than ninety feet. Massive kelp beds form creating one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world.

California has already seen an 80% reduction in giant kelp forests in the last hundred years, one of the primary concerns for the kelp forests is the amount of contaminated storm water entering the oceans from the cities and carrying various pollutants along with it.

Warmer Ocean Water

One of the most well documented events concerning loss of kelp forest habitats was in San Diego County, when the nuclear generating station at San Onofre discharged heated water destroying over 150 acres of kelp forests.

Although many people accused the nuclear generating station of releasing toxic water, it was more than likely the sudden increase in warm water that caused the giant kelp to die off to rapidly.

Giant kelp thrives in cooler waters, which remain below 69 to 70 degrees. Another reason for the decline in kelp forests could be due to an increase in global ocean temperatures, however this would need to increase significantly to completely halt all growth.

Sea Otters And Kelp Forests

The loss of much of California’s kelp forests also coincides with another missing member of Calfiornia’s marine habitats, and that is the sea otter. Sea otters were almost hunted to extinction in California long before it was ever a state, but Californian’s have made great progress in bringing back this incredibly valuable part of the ocean’s health.

Sea otters maintain the health of kelp forests by keeping the populations of sea urchins and other invertebrates in balance. If left unmanaged, sea urchin populations can grow too large and destroy an entire kelp forest by eating away at their base.

The Effort To Re Introduce Sea Otters To Southern California

June 16, 2016 Superadmin Catalina Island, Environmental Science, Marine Biology

Sea otters are one of California’s most loved and adorable marine mammals, their presence is greatly missed and great efforts are being put into action to help preserve and restore the once thriving sea otter populations along our coast.

A Brief History of Sea Otters in southern California

Sea otters were once wide spread along the entire coastal north Pacific, from Japan to Alaska, and all the way down the west coast of North America to Baja Mexico. In California alone, sea otter populations were believed to be around six-teen thousand individuals. Then in the 17^th and 18^th centuries Russian and Spanish fur traders began exploiting sea otters for their pelts, and hunted them to the brink of extinction.

By the beginning of the 20^th century it was assumed that sea otters were extinct, until in 1938 a small group of sea otters were found still thriving in the hidden crevices of Big Sur, California. It was estimated that there were 50 individuals surviving in this area.

California began one of its greatest conservation efforts to protect and allow this small population to repopulate the California coast. Today the population of sea otters descended from this small group found eighty years ago has risen to just under 3,000 individuals!

Why are sea otters so important to California’s marine ecosystems?

Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning they have a larger role in maintaining the health of their ecosystems than other species. Sea otters love to eat benthic (mud dwelling) marine invertebrates, their diet ranges from abalone to sea urchins, crabs, marine snails, worms, sea stars, sand dollars, octopus, squid and others. However, most individuals specialize in one area of the over all sea otter diet.

The most abundant habitat for many marine animals are the kelp forests that line California’s coast, and provide an abundant resource for much of California’s local marine life. In recent years we have seen a sharp decline in kelp forests, this has been occurring for several reasons, such as rising ocean temperatures, but it is also occurring because of the absence of the sea otters. Sea otters keep the sea urchin numbers in balance; otherwise sea urchins eat the base of the kelp plant and eradicate entire forests.

Sea otters can eat a lot of sea urchins! One interesting fact about this lovable, not to mention smallest (and therefore cutest!) member of the marine mammal family, is that they have extremely fast metabolisms because this allows them to release the amount of heat they need to stay warm in the frigid North Pacific waters. An average sea otter will eat 25% of its own body weight per day!

Sea otters are integral members of California’s marine ecosystems, without them entire habitats are lost and contribute to the decrease in bio diversity.

What are the primary threats to sea otters?

Although sea otters have made a huge comeback in the last hundred years, their road to complete recovery is far from over. There are still many threats to sea otters; among the greatest are threats from chemical pollution, food limitation, loss of habitat, and nutritional deficiencies.

California has made some huge mistakes regarding their treatment of sea otters. Although sea otters were listed as endangered in 1977, just nine years later sea otters were officially banned from the southern California coast at the behest of the fishing industries, which saw sea otters as a threat to their commercial exploits. This allowed sea otters in southern California to be unprotected from harassment and harm.

During this time, any sea otters found were trapped and relocated to San Nicholas island, where it was claimed they would ‘be free from the threats of oil spills’; however, this effort was a disaster as many individual sea otters were either harmed or died trying to find their way home.

Beginning in 2001 the Fish and Wildlife Service declared that they would no longer trap and relocate sea otters, allowing them to return to southern California and repopulate.

Regardless of the recent changes in attitude and concern for reintroducing sea otters, their numbers have not grown much since 2006, in fact in 2010 the US Geological Survey announced that numbers had declined for the second year in a row. However, the Californian people showed greater enthusiasm and expressed greater interest in helping this incredibly valuable species recover.

In 2011, Californian Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation re-establishing the main source of funding for sea otter conservation programs, such as the California Sea Otter Fund, and has raised more than $1.5 million dollars in the last five years (well over their goal!).

How Can Sea Otters Be Re Introduced?

Although other populations of sea otters have showed encouraging signs of recovery, such as 17% to 20% per year in some areas, the California sea otters have progressed at a much slower rate, only 5% to 6% per year. This is due to a higher mortality rate from white shark attack, bacterial and viral infections, toxicity, poisoning, and various infectious diseases.

The various inorganic pollutants traveling with the runoff from human habitations is considered to be the primary threat causing the decreased life span and high mortality rate for Californian sea otters.

In order for southern California’s sea otters to return and live healthy long lives, the quality of the water will need to continue to improve. As more and more Californians see the personal and collective benefits to implementing environmentally friendly alternatives, there seems to be hope yet for creating the right conditions for the sea otters to live.

What You Can Do To Help!

Californians have shown great interest in helping the sea otter populations to recover, and in recent years we have begun to realize the vital role they play on maintaining the overall health of marine ecosystems, particularly the kelp forest.

It is now evident that saving the sea otters not only means preserving this adorable and unique individual species, but it also means saving the foundation of our marine habitats.

There is only so much we can expect our Federal, State and local governments and agencies to achieve for us. The real contribution must come from the way we each chose to live our lives. What we pour down the drains will end up being what the sea otters swim in. By using less chemical detergents and solvents, and choosing to buy environmentally safe house hold products, we can each do our part to make the planet a better place for each and every one of us!

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Keeping A Field Journal: How To Transform Your Students Into Scientists

May 30, 2016 Superadmin Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Science Camp

In the process of developing an educated appreciation for science, students use their field journals to take the scientific method into their own hands and make it a very real part of their individual lives. In this way, the field journal serves as the vehicle for developing a personal appreciation and love for science.

Developing A Personal Appreciation And Love For Science

The field journal becomes the instrument that students of science use to capture their insights and other thoughts while out in the field. They are then able to ponder and interpret what they are observing into their own theories and ideas about the natural world, developing one more testable hypothesis to bring their concepts into reality.

The whole scientific method becomes an adventurous process of heightening sensitivity and deepening the student’s awareness and experience of the environment they are researching. Soon the natural world reveals its splendor and wonder, captivating the student and peaking their interest. The field journal then becomes the intermediary between raw experience and scientific analysis.

The student quickly discovers that the most important research equipment they have is their own mind and the field journal. All other technology is only complimentary.

The Field Journal

As soon as students arrive at one of Mountain and Sea Adventures (MSA) programs on Catalina Island or Big Bear they are immediately introduced to how to set up, organize and keep a field journal. It is always a joy for the MSA staff to see the transformation that happens between the first class, when students reluctantly participate in what they perceive to be ‘just another school class’, to when they turn in their journals at the end of their camp experience, sometimes frantically requesting the instructors to be sure to return their journals promptly!

The field journal is a valuable tool for seeing your thoughts develop and evolve over time. This further engages the student and inspires them to immerse themselves further in their research, with a greater awareness and appreciation for the utility of the field journal.

Personalizing Our Experiences

One of the most valuable aspects of the field journal is in the way it takes an impersonal class lecture and gives it a vehicle for personal application. Now the students can listen to each new lecture with deeper interest, knowing that they will be able to apply what has been taught to their own observations and experiences in the field. Learning is no longer second-hand and based on what has already been written in texts books, but becomes a living breathing component of their lives that they can translate into their own personal writings. From a hypothesis to a theory to a scientific law, the writing that takes place in the student’s field journal gradually evolves.

A Catapult For The Imagination

Many students often mistakenly think that science is cold and analytical, when the truth is that good science provides a foundation for the creative faculties, such as imagination, to unravel and reveal the untold mysteries of the natural world.

In this way, science is much like any other art form. Just like with music or fine art, the instruments, brushes and other tools are only the catalyst for the creative expression of the mind. In the same way, a field biologist utilizes many forms of technology, yet considers the imagination to be the first and most important laboratory.

Bringing Imagination To Reality

Scientists are like big kids; both spend most of their time engaged in elaborate imagination. Science can be seen as the ultimate venue for the imagination, where it is empowered to express its fullest potential. However, one of the most exciting things of all is that science is not limited to the realm of mere fantasy; but is focused on bringing thought into the material plane of measurable application.

In this way, a field biologist is constantly updating their mental vision by testing various hypothesis and analyzing the results as they unfold in the field. Eventually the scientist first discovers the theory in their imagination before explaining it, and finally proving it in a controlled environment.

Where Scientists Are Born: Marine Biology Youth Camp on Catalina Island

May 13, 2016 Superadmin Catalina Island, Character Building, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Science Camp, summer camp

Marine Biology Youth Camp

Catalina Island is a magical destination and one of the most rich and abundant natural resources in California. When visiting Catalina Island, which is less than twenty miles off short Los Angeles, students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range to educational and adventurous marine biology activities, such as snorkeling at one of the most desirable locations in the world, kayaking, dissecting squid, trawling for plankton and then observing them beneath microscopes, hiking the various trails that surround the camp, and lots more!

While snorkeling students get to see Garibaldi, opaleye, kelp bass, leopard sharks, shovelnose guitarfish, as well as the occasional seal, sea lion and/or dolphin visit! On land students may seem several endemic species of birds and mammals such as the quail, ground squirrel and fox.

The Natural Beauty of Catalina Island

Catalina Island is seventy-four miles of ecological preserve, with some of the most breathtaking landscape in California. Marine biology youth camp at Catalina Island is a rare and extremely valuable opportunity to immerse your students in the unspoiled beauty of nature.

With forty-eight miles of coastline, Catalina Island has a seemingly endless variety of marine and terrestrial habitats. There is an abundant of plant and wildlife, which makes this an ideal location to impart a passion for learning natural science and use the scientific method to explore nature, and arrive at your own conclusions and theories.

Learning To Observe The World Like A Field Biologist

For those interested in marine biology, camp at Catalina Island is the perfect chance to develop that interest and ‘try out’ life as an actual marine biologist field scientist. Students learn to keep a field journal and are taught to observe the world around them through the eyes of a scientist.

This full immersion into natural sciences sparks a deep love and appreciation for marine biology, and many do end up going back home and pursuing an higher education academic goal.

Marine Biology