Field Trip for Future Marine Biologists

Have you ever wanted to be a marine biologist for the day? Studying different marine species, gazing at zooplankton under microscopes, and diving along coral reefs sounds like an awesome career! On November 14th, Everglades City School’s fourth, fifth, and sixth graders got the opportunity to travel down to the Florida Keys for the day to put themselves in the shoes of marine biologists. 

Eighteen students and six chaperones (one of them being myself) boarded a charter bus at 5:30 AM Friday to embark on our two-hour journey to Marine Lab, located in Key Largo, Florida. The bus was buzzing with excitement as we glided down the road, wondering what fun things we all had in store for us. When we arrived, we were greeted by Lucy, one of Marine Lab’s biologists, who led us towards their outdoor pavilion where she explained our itinerary for the day and encouraged everyone to put sunscreen on. After a quick swim test, we were put into two groups and led towards the docks to pick up our snorkeling gear and wetsuits. Once everyone had their wetsuits and gear, another marine biologist named Ari met us at the dock; she led one group to a boat and Lucy led the other group to a different boat. We first went winding through the mangroves of the Keys and ended up in a bay where we were able to get into the shallow water and snorkel. We gathered many different marine organisms into a plastic tub to study them. The organisms we analyzed ranged from scallops to starfish, even different sea slugs such as the lettuce sea slug. After placing them back in the water, we traveled back to the lab to learn about different types of coral in the Marine Lab’s floating classroom. The most exciting part of the trip was next. Our groups got back together on boats and cut through the bright blue waves of the Florida Keys to Elbow Reef, where we jumped out and snorkeled above the most beautiful and colorful coral reef. Our students were fascinated by the variety of life under the turquoise water. After exploring the entire reef, it was time to head back to the lab where our students and chaperones gathered into the lab to study different species of zooplankton. It was incredibly intriguing to watch as the zooplankton sprang from one side of the glass slide to the other. Finally, around 9:00 PM it was time to gather our things and start our journey back home. We thanked each of the marine biologists who let us step into their world for the day and marched to board the bus. 

I cannot express how grateful our students and chaperones were to have experienced such an incredible, informative, and unique field trip. Our EVG students, as well as the chaperones, will remember this trip for a lifetime. I cannot wait to see who this field trip to Marine Lab will inspire out of our amazing students to go into marine biology!