Fascinated with the tropical reefs and marine creatures or interested in a career in the marine sciences? S.E.A. (Service, Education and Adventure) Voyages are a unique opportunity to earn environmental service hours and academic credit while adventuring throughout the amazing Windward Islands archipelago. S.E.A. voyages offer you a great opportunity to learn about marine biology, sailing, and SCUBA diving, and make the most of your summer on a rewarding and educational adventure of a lifetime!
SERVICE These voyages focus on coral reef related environmental service throughout the Windward Islands. Working with the marine parks and international monitoring organizations, we conduct surveys on wild dolphin populations in Martinique, coral health assessments in St. Lucia's Marine Park, coral reef fish counts and project Reef Check in Dominica and St. Vincent, and assist sea turtle population rehabilitation efforts in Bequia.
EDUCATION Coral reef biology and ecology accredited education programs. Discover the deeply interconnected ways the coral, invertebrates, and fishes work together in amazing efficiency. Aboard your vessel are microscopes and lab equipment and a staff of enthusiastic marine biologists ready to teach you how to collect scientifically sound ecological data as you explore your interest in a science career or just enjoy learning about the unique aspects of the reefs creatures. Learn to identify the top 25 corals and their common ailments as well as over 100 reef fishes in preparation for conducting biodiversity surveys of the reefs for the Reef Check initiative and add to the project REEF database. During this process you will learn about coral aggression, learn to treat coral Black Band disease, and discover the different coral growth forms. The behaviors of coral reef fishes are as vivid as their colors, and you will learn about their unique methods of mate selection and attraction, avoiding predation, and finding and obtaining dinner. A big part of the protection of these beautiful coral reef communities is through the conservation efforts of the marine parks of the islands. The marine parks provide safe havens from the effects of fishing and commercial utilization of the reef's resources, but the park systems are limited in scope due to economic challenges of the islands. We assist the local marine park rangers to conduct surveys assessing the health of the reefs and compare survey results to those taken outside of the marine park protected zones. You develop your skills in implementing the accepted protocols and methods of conducting field surveys to assess the health of fish, coral, and dolphin populations. All educational programs are taught in a hands-on approach in which you gain knowledge by doing, seeing and experiencing. You may optionally take this voyage for credit through Texas Tech University (2 credit hours for approx $320).
ADVENTURE Sailing throughout the archipelago, diving the coral walls, pinnacles, and reefs, exploring shipwrecks, hiking through the rainforest jungles, exploring volcanoes, refreshing in hot spring waterfalls and experiencing the culture and beauty ashore is sure to satisfy the explorer within you. With lots of SCUBA diving included, you can earn multiple PADI SCUBA certifications including Advanced, our distinctive Research Diver plus Night Diver and Underwater Photography. We live aboard sailing catamarans and sail the blue passages between the islands. You are the crew, learning to raise and lower the sails, navigate, be the helmsman, and drop the anchor all in time for volleyball, wakeboarding, and kayaking.
 | PADI Advanced Diver |  | Sail Training and Seamanship |
| PADI Research Diver and Photo specialty | | Watersports- Skiing, Boarding, Kayaking |
| Underwater Environmental Service Projects | | Island Exploration, Rainforest Treks |
| 20+ Dives, 3 Scuba Certifications |  | Marine Biology Academic Credit (2 hours option) |
| SEA Programs in the Windward Islands | |||||
| Voyage | Age | Trip Code | Dates | Days | Tuition |
| North SEA Voyage | College 18-24 | SEA11 | June 20 - July 3 | 14 | $3790 |
| High School 16-17 | SEA12 | June 20 - July 3 | 14 | $3790 | |
| Middle School 14-15 | SEA13 | June 20 - July 3 | 14 | $3790 | |
| College 18-24 | SEA31 | July 20 - August 2 | 14 | $3790 | |
| High School 16-17 | SEA32 | July 20 - August 2 | 14 | $3790 | |
| Middle School 14-15 | SEA33 | July 20 - August 2 | 14 | $3790 | |
Sample Itinerary
Days 1-4
Arrive into St Lucia and meet your fellow shipmates. Our home port is the beautiful Marigot Bay. Learn a bit about your yacht and sailing. Prepare to cast-off the dock and raise your mainsail, as we head off to Anse Chachon reef for an orientation dive and an opportunity to explore the 165-foot Lesleen M shipwreck. We gear up for our first blue water passage sail to Petite Anse in Martinique. Upon entering the bay, we are accompanied by a huge pod of dolphin riding our bow wave. We will be cataloging our sightings of their abundances and distributions for the Martinique Cetaceans Research Unit and learning about their biology and ecology. The diving in Martinique is breathtaking, particularly the offshore islands, the Diamond and the Pearl, both teeming with large pelagic fishes.
Days 5-9We continue our exploration of the amazing waters of Martinique, including the bat cave. We delve into the fateful events of the 1902 Mt. Pele volcanic eruption above St. Pierre, which strewed the sea floor with twenty shipwrecks, now all home to a myriad of species. A visit ashore brings us to the old theater ruins atop the cellar jail cell of the eruption's sole survivor. Bustling Fort De France offers up a nice break for great food and shopping. We develop our skills to identify the 25 common coral species and even treat some of the corals infected with Black Band Disease. In addition to the dolphin surveys, we will be working with Reef Check to develop a baseline survey of the coral reef health. At night, we dive the reefs to explore the nocturnal transformation and observe with an underwater black light a rare glimpse of coral fluorescence.
Day 10-14Dominica, the water island, maintains, through their Scotts Head Marine Reserve, amazingly healthy coral reefs with pinnacles rising straight up from unfathomed depths. After drift diving the crystal clear waters and reefs loaded with color and fishes, we go ashore to climb to the hot spring mineral baths and waterfalls. A well deserved soak leads to relaxation before scouting terrific views from the rainforest botanical garden. We are getting pretty competent as sailors now and set out to St. Lucia for exploration of the Soufriere Reserve, including the stunning drift diving of Superman's Flight and the Coral Gardens. We work with the marine rangers here in conducting coral reef health assessments. Learn about the marine park's success and challenges before climbing about the Pitons, two jungle covered peaks jutting straight up over two thousand feet.