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 Coral Reef Fishes and Sea turtles are the educational and environmental service emphasis of the South SEA voyages. 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 fish populations in St. Lucia and St. Vincent, coral health assessments in St. Lucia's Marine Park, 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.
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 Course |
| SEA Programs in the Windward Islands | |||||
| Voyage | Age | Trip Code | Dates | Days | Tuition |
| South SEA Voyage | College 18-24 | SEA21 | July 5 - July 18 | 14 | $3790 |
| High School 16-17 | SEA22 | July 5 - July 18 | 14 | $3790 | |
| Middle School 14-15 | SEA23 | July 5 - July 18 | 14 | $3790 | |
| College 18-24 | SEA41 | August 3 - August 16 | 14 | $3790 | |
| High School 16-17 | SEA42 | August 3 - August 16 | 14 | $3790 | |
| Middle School 14-15 | SEA43 | August 3 - August 16 | 14 | $3790 | |
South SEA Voyages are rountrip out of Marigot Bay, St. Lucia and visit St. Vincent and the northern Grenadines.
Sample Itinerary
Days 1-4
Marigot Bay is our beautiful home port where we acquaint ourselves with our shipmates and our yacht before raising the sails and heading to the Soufriere Marine Reserve for a dive on Superman's Flight. Learn about navigation, dead reckoning and GPS, sail trim and helmsmanship as we sail south to St Vincent, truly a diver's wonderland. With crystalline waters, sheer walls and diverse marine life, dive sites like Orca Point and New Guinea Reef offer the rare opportunity to see elusive frogfish and batfish. A short hike takes us to the amazing Falls of Baleine underneath the towering Soufriere volcano. Look out for a chance to glimpse the elusive white St. Vincent Parrot in the rainforest. The reefs here are optimal for perfecting fish identification while exploring their unique niches and behaviors.
Days 5-9After having some fun wakeboarding, we put our new fish identification skills to good use conducting surveys for project REEF while diving the sheer wall drop-offs and colorful reefs and even through a bat cave. Analyze the feeding habits and life cycles of the coral reef fishes and learn about fish count methods, transect lines, and other tools of marine research. Explore the shipwrecks off Kingstown, where three ships have sank atop each other starting with a slave ship from the 1700's and most recently a freighter in 1980. The Grenadines beckon with their white sand beaches and turquoise blue waters. Bequia is charming ashore with gingerbread houses and flower gardens. Here, we work with the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary in their efforts to restore the Grenadines sea turtle population and learn about sea turtle biology and conservation efforts.
Days 10-14Investigate bioluminescence during night dives and witness the changing of the guard of the reef fishes from the diurnal herbivores to the nocturnal predators as we dive some of the worlds best reefs. Learn a bit about digital underwater photography as we continue our investigations in marine biology. Master sailing and seamanship skills as we return across the blue water passage to St. Lucia. Here we work with the Soufriere Marine Management Area rangers conducting vital reef fish assessments while high-speed drift diving Superman's Flight, Coral Gardens and the Pinnacles. Ashore, we hike up to the hot spring waterfalls and overlook the marine park with magnificent views from the jungle peaks around the Pitons. We have explored an arc of the Caribbean, contributed to reef conservation, and made great friends!