Mountain & Sea Adventures holds a summer camp every year on Santa Catalina Island with many fun adventures for kids while learning environmental marine science.
Campers who come aboard our ship get to experience Catalina like no one else can this summer. They live on our ship and get to scan the coast and visit three different coves along the way while snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, and a whole lot more.
ABOUT OUR SHIP:
Our ship, the Enhydra is a 114ft marine vessel with 20 cabins. Each cabin has two beds per cabin, a private bathroom, a shower, cabinet space, and a window view. The ship has 4 levels with the staff quarters and engine room on the bottom deck. The galley (kitchen), program room, and living quarters are on the second deck. The third deck has living quarters, two open-air areas, the jump-off point, the captain quarters, the wheelhouse, and outside seating on the bow and stern. The top level is the lookout area where we hold some class activities as well as enjoy the fresh air. 40 kids ages 9-17 come aboard to enjoy this amazing adventure.
Activity Examples:
Our camp is filled with opportunities to get closer with nature and get educated in the process. There are also other times where it’s all about the fun. Some activities and events are listed below.
–Fish Lab: Campers get to have multiple locations to jump in the water and explore the island’s reefs, cliffsides, marine protected areas, and dive points while learning about the underwater ecosystem along the way.
–Bird Lab: This is where campers kayak around the protruding rocks in the ocean and get to see the birds on them. Instructors teach kids all about them while also enjoying the beautiful scenery.
–Environmental Nature Hike: Several hikes are done on the trip during each cove for campers to get a good idea of how different nature is away from mainland California. This also gives campers the opportunity to climb the peaks and trails of Catalina.
–Hawaiian Night: One of our last nights involves dressing up in Hawaiian-ware, having some fun competitions, eating Hawaiian BBQ meals, and even doing a bit of dancing.
–Pirate Day: Don’t tell your kids, but there’s a secret day they get to take over the ship. The captain may be thrown overboard.
SOAC’d PROGRAM:
Throughout camp, we have class opportunities we call our SOAC’d program. SOAC’d stands for Science Ocean Adventure Challenges and allows your kids to choose beyond the required activities (i.e. kayaking, snorkeling, hiking) and learn something new while onboard. Some challenges are to become masters in deckmanship, navigation & piloting, naturalist & environmentalist, snorkeling & scuba diving, oceanography, marine science, and even cooking. People can reach up to Level 3 (mastery level) in these courses throughout their trip. People who reach high enough levels can become counselors in future years while also learning a lot about the ocean.
SCUBA:
Campers ages 12 and up have the opportunity as well to do one of three forms of scuba if desired. As a beginner, a camper can do an introductory dive. This dive allows someone the first-time experience of scuba diving. For two-week campers, there is the opportunity to get completely certified. This would be 8 dives total and span the two weeks of camp. Many campers last year are now certified divers. This leads to the last type of diver. People who are already certified can go out and do one or two dives for their week of camp. No matter where you fit, scuba can always be an option from beginner to experienced diver.
Contact: Mountain & Sea
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