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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 14 – 18 (Ages 15 to 17) Campsite: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo *Day trip included to Bahia Honda State Park. 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. This is a more advanced week. We will use and hone camping skills, learn and practice more intense snorkeling skills, dive deeper into identifying a more considerable diversity of coral reef critters, and conduct more extensive laboratory exercises. In general, we will ramp up the scientific components of learning about and describing coral reefs. We will camp at Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, but we have a memorable trip planned to Bahia Honda State Park on Thursday to snorkel at Looe Key. Along with its iconic Florida Keys scenery, sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and magnificent sunsets, Bahia Honda is known for its balmy sea breezes that caress the shores year-round.
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