About This Activity
Ocean Explorers is our excuse to spend a week mucking about on the water — exploring, getting a little salty, and discovering the incredible marine world that surrounds us on the Olympic Peninsula. Each day is an adventure. We head out into Port Angeles Harbor by sailboat and motorboat, and when conditions allow, we suit up in wetsuits and jump right in. We’ll pull crab pots, poke around the docks, collect water samples, and study plankton under microscopes. Along the way, campers learn to identify marine mammals, seabirds, seaweeds, and the invertebrates that make our waters so dynamic. New this year, we’re partnering with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Sequim and Ebb Carbon’s carbon capture project to add an even deeper STEM layer to the experience. Campers will connect what they’re seeing and touching on the water to real-world marine science happening right here in our marine neighborhood — from ocean chemistry to ecosystem health. Weather permitting, we’ll venture into the Strait of Juan de Fuca for a true mariner adventure day. Throughout the week, we keep a running species list — from harbor seals and river otters to seabirds and even the occasional Steller sea lion — and see if we can top last year’s count. Ocean Explorers blends science, seamanship, and pure salty fun — giving kids the chance to get curious, get wet, and build a lasting connection to the waters that shape our community.
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