Windward Islands SEA Voyages- Service, Education, and Adventure

Explore St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada

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 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.

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.

21-day Northbound Itenerary S.E.A. and Southbouth Itinerary S.E.A. S.E.A. focus is on corals, marine invertebrates and wild dolphins, fishes, and turtles and visits St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Greanda. The S.E.A. Voyages are for certified divers.

PADI Advanced Diver Sail Training and Seamanship
PADI Rescue Diver Underwater Digital Photography and Video
PADI Research Diver and Photo specialty Watersports- Skiing, Boarding, Kayaking
Underwater Environmental Service Projects Island Exploration, Rainforest Treks
30+ Dives, 5 Scuba Certifications Marine Biology Academic Credit (2 hours option)