Ocean And Beach Are Sea Camp Classrooms

Sea Camp, one of the state’s unique summer programs that is beginning its 24th year at Texas A&M University at Galveston, is gearing up to offer another round of salty sessions to youngsters ages 10-18. The camp settings are always among the most unusual found anywhere in the country – on the beach, in the ocean and never far away from interesting marine life.

Since the first session was held in 1986, more than 16,000 campers from all over the United States have experienced a wide variety of Sea Camp programs, says camp director Daisy Duerson.

“The beach and the ocean always make the best classrooms,” Duerson notes.

“There really is no other camp in Texas like Sea Camp. In it, we strive to teach kids about the marine and estuarine environments and we show how these can affect the campers’ own lives. They enjoy learning through their own experiences, and that’s why we have always stressed a hands-on, feet-in type of camp where everyone participates.”

Camps this year, running from June 7 to Aug. 8, will include numerous topics for ages 10-18 such as marine biology, sharks and more, coral, crabs and cuttlefish, coastal ecology, marine mammals, coast photography, coastal camping, ocean careers, nautical archaeology, forensics and others.

If fishing has your youngsters hooked, they will enjoy Fishing Camp where they will learn how to snare some of Texas’ top saltwater game fish.

For ages 6-11 this year will feature the popular and timely It’s a Pirate’s Life and also Sea Campus Kids, which includes three and five-day sessions featuring different marine-oriented topics.

In addition, a talented and gifted (TAG) program for high-ability students in grades 8-12 will be held. The week-long sessions will include courses in marine engineering technology, veterinary medicine, pre-med and other topics. Also new this year is a marine science expedition to Vancouver, Canada.

Sea Camp instructors include Texas A&M faculty members and graduate students from numerous departments such as marine biology, marine sciences, zoology, wildlife and fishery sciences and others.

Costs range from $110 to $125 for day camps and from $785 to $900 for overnight camps, and campers will live in residence halls on the Texas A&M at Galveston campus. A $100 discount is offered to all Texas A&M System employees for Sea Camp and TAG camp and a $25 discount is available for Sea Campus Kids tuition.

For more information, go to the Sea Camp website at www.tamug.edu/seacamp.