Marine Biology in the Florida Keys

Day 1

After arrival in Homestead, Florida, the group will take time to minister to migrant children at Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA), where you will have the opportunity to share Christ through games, Bible stories and crafts. After dinner, you will begin your hands-on study of Florida Keys marine life with a night wade. The evening will conclude with devotions and group discussion.

Day 2

During the morning the group will spend some time kayaking and exploring the unique mangrove ecosystem. You may find stingrays, small nurse sharks, and a variety of other shallow bay inhabitants of the region. You will also enjoy a unique game of “predator/prey” in the mangrove mud! After lunch your group will head out by boat to the coral reef for some snorkeling and education about the marine biodiversity that populates the barrier reef. Later, the group will take some time for dinner and then spend the evening in a squid dissection activity. The day will conclude with group devotions.

Day 3

Following breakfast, your group will spend the morning studying shallow seagrass ecosystems and collecting organisms for identification. You will also participate in a seine net pull to discover unique fish that make the area their home. After cleaning up and enjoying lunch, the group will head to Windley Key Fossil Reef State Park where you will study the fossil geology and hardwood hammocks of the Florida Keys. At the conclusion of this fascinating experience, the group will head back home.