The Aquarium's teen diving expedition Sea TURTLE is reporting live from Rhode Island. This post is from Elana. 

Today at 10am we piled our bags into two vans and departed for Rhode Island. We grooved to Dave’s science playlist, while playing 20 questions: science version, until we finally arrived at the camp. After a quick lunch and a short walk to our cabins we were excited to get the expedition started. The girls raced to choose bunks while the boys lounged in all the space of their cabin.



After quickly changing and unpacking a little we piled back into the van to head to the pond. We were all thrilled to finally be able to get into the water and not just for the fun of it. We realized how hot it can get while wearing a long sleeve wetsuit in the heat of a summer day. Soon we were all in the water, some with BCD’s and tanks going over important skills while the other half looked at fish and took pictures of each other jumping off the floating dock. Then it was time to switch. Before we knew it, it was time for a delicious dinner served at the dining hall.

After some free time and the anticipation of a campfire and s’mores, we cannot wait to see what the day holds for us tomorrow!

-Elana

Dave Allen, Sea TURTLE trip leader

There are many possible reasons why you may be reading these words today. Perhaps you were perusing the Aquarium’s website and stumbled across this blog by accident. Maybe you clicked through from Facebook or Twitter. Or maybe you were searching the web for teen scuba programs and this was one of the results. There is even an off chance that you know a teen in this program and want to see how they are doing.

No matter why you are here, welcome to the blog of the New England Aquarium’s Sea TURTLE (Teen Underwater Research Training and Learning Expedition)!

Sea TURTLE is a program for teens of diverse backgrounds to learn how to scuba dive, live and work as a team, promote ocean stewardship and dive deeper into marine science. This year, teens and staffers will be spending a week in Boston for classes and pool sessions followed by a week camping and diving in Rhode Island. Since all of our teens come from a coastal New England state, it’s exciting to learn about and see firsthand local marine species and habitats.

Yet this expedition is only half the program. Our Sea TURTLEs were selected from a very diverse and dynamic group of teens. Just to become a Sea TURTLE with the New England Aquarium, teens filled out applications, wrote essays and participated in two interviews (one group and one individual). If that sounds like a lot of work, it is! It takes both desire and commitment to be a TURTLE! We invite you to follow along and share our adventures with us! Along the way, you will get a chance to meet (and learn from) our 13 amazing teens. And perhaps you will find a little inspiration in our blog for your own marine science adventures this summer!

 -Dave