About This Activity
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is one of 14 sanctuaries in the nation, and we are lucky campers to be able to zip down and see sharks, eagle rays, goliath groupers, midnight parrotfish, pillar corals, mountainous corals, and the list goes on! Today, the sanctuary protects more than 2,900 square nautical miles of Florida Keys’ coastal and ocean waters. For both weeks, we will camp in gender and age-segregated 8-person tents and head out on a snorkel boat each morning to study the reef. The afternoons will be spent conducting experiments and exploring snorkel spots from shore. It’ll be a hot, glorious week of learning, snorkeling with good and soon-to-be good friends, campfires, and tent competitions. July 7 - 11 (Ages 13 to 14) Campsite: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo Charter bus transportation from Sanibel Island is arranged for both weeks. The bus will depart from our Flagship Campus on Monday and return on Friday. Renowned for being the country’s first undersea park, John Pennekamp encompasses an impressive 70 nautical square miles. This is our initial week of travel investigations to coral reef environments. We will focus on introducing camping and outdoor skills, successful living away from home, techniques for exploring new surroundings, basic coral reef species identification, basic snorkeling skills, and simple laboratory investigations. Next to our primitive campsite are nature trails through the tropical hammock, swimming at the beach, and the perfect bonfire pit. We will take a snorkel boat from John Pennekamp’s marina, just a short walk from our campsite.
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