Know anything about Seacamp?

[archman]

You can always email me Austin. I was one of their science instructors for four years. You can also talk to Polly, but I know what she'll say.

Actually, seeing as how you've already finished my incredibly thorough Broadreach MBA program, you're going to be dismally disappointed with Seacamp from a science and scuba diving angle. If I were you I'd look to see of there are any spots left in the CMR (caribbean marine reserves) program offered by Broadreach. Trent's going, and I would too if I didn't have to teach MBA again. It's the only program of it's kind permitted inside the Saba Marine Park, and Saba's well... GORGEOUS.
http://www.gobroadreach.com/programs/cmr.asp

Tell them I referred you, it might help. Heck, you may even want to come back to Eleuthera. I've thrown out the old curriculum and made a new one that focuses on coral reef ecology. And we have BIKES now.

There aren't any Caribbean marine science programs for teens to my knowledge that are superior to the one you took last year, except for the one I'll teach this year. You may wish to look into signing on with a volunteer research team instead, like greenforce. Some of them may enroll 17-year old's. I can look up a few of these groups if you're interested.

 

[Austin]

Archy!!! How's it going? Found any giant mutant slugs or more tomahawk missiles on the seafloor? I just got back from some field experience. We were tagging the only offshore ecotype of Turciops Truncatus (Bottlenose dolphin) that has been studied. It was off the coast of Bermuda, it was our third project so far. I heard Oliver is going as an "intern," I was offered the position too, but I'm trying really hard to find the time. You can't believe how much I want to go back or to go to Carribean Reserves. So the science isn't quite up to par with last year is it? I wish there was a BR program in the month of August, that's my problem, I have the International Young Riders competition the last weekend in July. I won't know until June 11th if I made the team, (but I probably will make the team) you think I could still squeeze in then? And you guys have Bikes! No fair, you better still make them run 5 miles every morning! I miss it so much...

 

[padrediver]

Hi, I'm a teen diver, 17, who's almost finished with Rescue, and I'm pursing a carreer possibly in Marine Biology focusing on Reef ecology/ invertabrate zoology. I did a broadreach camp last year and loved it, and am looking at the Seacamp program in the Keys, anyone have any opinions about it? Any teen divers interested in going?

I was one of the originals...spent two weeks each in 1966/1967 on Big Pine diving Looe Key on this old wooden forty footer called the Salt Shaker.
One of the other fifteen year olds in our cabin (movie stars' kid) brought a quart
of bourbon....my first drunk! (Irene Hooper busted us hard...had to wash dishes
for three days! Ha!)(Flipper TV show was HOT then and all the kids at my school
school were green with envy that we got to "play" "Sandy&Bud...the teen divers
on the show.
Almost got killed by a sea aneome that looks like a brocolli called a "Casiopia".
Seacamp is a friggin riot! No shootski!
Hope you get rescued soon! (hahahaha)

 

[padrediver]

What kind of sharks do they have in the "pool" now?
They had Makos when I was there in 1966/67!
You couldn't have PAID me or anyone else swim with them!
Even the counselors gave them a wide birth!
By the way, that pic/avatar is me eight months ago at
Key Allegro Texas. Do you know about the TEXAS Flower Garden
coral reef system/sanctuary. (it's a "best kept secret" deal).
South Floridian by birth.
Texan by the grace of God!

 

[LiteHedded]

uh maco sharks?
they're little bonnetheads. or were when I was there
those casseopeas are all over there. they're like upside down jellyfish

 

[archman]

I wish there was a BR program in the month of August, that's my problem, I have the International Young Riders competition the last weekend in July. I won't know until June 11th if I made the team, (but I probably will make the team) you think I could still squeeze in then?

Hmmm... month of August... I would recommend for your particular interests (hardcore diving rich in marine life) either the UDA31 (Underwater Discoveries Advanced)
http://www.gobroadreach.com/programs/UDA.asp

or BE2 (Baja Extreme)
http://www.gobroadreach.com/programs/BE.asp

Yeah I know it says grades 9-11 for BE2. They may let you in anyway, as you're alummi, and our staff last year gave you an outstanding student evaluation. The Broadreach staff fight with each other to be assigned to the Baja trips, they're that good.

Both of these programs offer a heap (25+) of diving in amazing areas. They like to keep the Baja trips later in the summer, as whale sharks start coming into the area. And just take a peek at the travel itinerary for UDA, wow. Even with these programs, you'll still get more science than >90% of what Seacamp offers.

If these don't suit your schedule needs, SeaCamp could be an okay fallback. Session III in August NEVER fills to maximum student capacity (more like 70%), and August weather is the best. The only problem is that with such reduced student numbers, many of the more advanced science classes get the axe. And seacamp alumni get priority in signing up for those classes... there's a LOT of alumni. The snorkeling-based science classes are very good, but the scuba-science ones are a wispy shadow to the ones you've taken, unless by amazing luck they offer a SCUBA IV class. Polly would teach those if they were offered.

But I'd check out Baja and UDA first. You may even want to hop on over to ActionQuest's website and see if they have any August trips. You didn't hear me say that.

Oh my, our own Texas biologists would be quite upset to hear that the only "offshore ecotype studies" for bottlenosed dolphins were off Bermuda. We've been doing it for many years off our own continental shelf, heck I think we were the ones that confirmed offshore variants even existed. Dang Bermudans...

Padrediver, I've got your avatar licked! Mine's actually taken at Seacamp, behind the dining hall to be exact. What you're seeing is a painted coconut from one of the Arts & Crafts classes. Everyone always assumes it's a pumpkin for some reason. umpkin:

And the "shark pond" has been renamed to something more politically correct... "holding pond" or something to that effect. It's mostly filled in with sediment now and near impossible to see anything. But it's quite safe to float about in; nothing meaner than little bonnetheads and the occasional jamaican stingray reside within. There was an overly large sharksucker that used to give people hickies, but I yanked it out in 2001.

 

[LiteHedded]

yea when I was there the pond was real silty.
i didn't see any sharks when we were in it. but I did chase around a horseshoe crab for a while
when I saw the bonnetheads was in the mornings when the tide was low. they'd swim around the edges of the pond where you could see them
man I had a blast there

 

[archman]

man I had a blast there

SeaCamp's pretty hard to beat if you're confined to the continental United States. They've got the best boat fleet in the industry. All of their craft were custom-built on site, with 20+ years of experience figuring into their design. I don't think their teen OW certification classes can be beat by anyone, either.

 

[padrediver]

Hmmm....they've multiplied! I brought one back to Lauderdale on the Greyhound bus
from Marathon in a styrofoam ice bucket....shined my flashlight on it periodically to
keep the old photosynthesis going....it died a couple of days later.(sob,sob)

 

[padrediver]

It's been a long time (38 years) since I was a Seacamper...they're trying to get
all of us now middle-aged "alumni" to send our kids.

Do they still haze the new campers with the "shark repellent" checklist?
I still remember my counselor checking my gear and asking where my shark
repellent was! The older campers got an immense laugh out of that one!

I'm somewhat familiar with Broadreach by reputation and their website.
Do the campers have to bring their own condoms or does Broadreach supply them.
(I'll just bet that they have a "reach for a broad" joke!)
Let's face it....these things are more about human biology than marine
biology. If any reading this, doubt this, just cruise the photo section of
Broadreach/Seacamp websites.

"You look so cute with that slurp gun, baby"

BTW, no need to lick my avatar...it's already been licked.

Never dive alone....the shark may go for your buddy instead of you!