Campers set sail at Ocean Institute camp

DANA POINT

Participants get a chance to see whales and dolphins, dissect marine animals in a science lab, and explore the local tide pools

Ocean Institute campers learn about local marine life during a cruise aboard the Research Vessel Sea Explorer outside Dana Point Harbor on Tuesday. photos by Jeff Antenore — staff photographer

Ocean Institute summer campers Geneva Morrow, left, 10, and Morgan Shantar, 8, work together to dissect a mackerel, learning about its various organs, in a science lab at the institute in Dana Point on Tuesday.

Ocean Institute campers check out a desiccated sea turtle on a table during the weeklong summer camp.

Ocean Institute summer campers head out toward the open sea aboard the sailing ship Spirit of Dana Point on Tuesday at Dana Point Harbor. Photos by Jeff Antenore — staff photographer

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Editor’s Note: This story is part of a summertime series featuring youth camps in Orange County.

While school may be out for the summer, learning doesn’t have to stop.

A variety of summer camps at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point Harbor offer children, ages 5 to 13, a chance to learn about marine life in a fun and up close way as they set sail off the Southern California coast with a chance to see whales and dolphins, dissect marine animals in a science lab and explore the local tide pools, learning about the various creatures that live there.

“Our camps are designed to keep kids curious by turning Southern California’s coastline into their classroom,” said Isabela Farinella, a growth marketing manager at the Ocean Institute.

“Rather than simply learning about marine science from a textbook, campers step aboard research vessels, conduct real scientific investigations, explore local ecosystems, interact with marine animals, and experience maritime history firsthand,” Farinella went on to explain.

The youngest campers, those ages 5 or 6, attend the Sea Squirts camp, a weeklong adventure where they interact with marine animals in various tanks and pools on the Ocean Institute grounds. Campers do daily ocean-themed crafts, activities, games and a treasure hunt.

There is Neptune’s Mysteries, where the young scientists are challenged to solve a new mystery each day as they embark on a marine mammal cruise aboard the research vessel Sea Explorer and visit the tide pools in the Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area. Older campers imagine life as a pirate as they learn the ropes to survive at sea with dockside activities on the historic tall ship, The Spirit of Dana Point, and venture out into the open ocean aboard the Sea Explorer.

At Shipwreck Hunters camp, for kids 9 through 11, campers get to problem solve and uncover mysteries as they are challenged to become maritime archaeologists, exploring a different shipwreck off the coast each day of the camp, making observations and testing questions while aboard both the Spirit of Dana Point and the Sea Explorer

For the Ocean Institute’s oldest summer campers, the week is filled with scientific investigations and animal interactions, including visits to the tide pools in the Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area. Campers head out to sea aboard the Spirit of Dana Point, do catch-and-release fishing aboard the Sea Explorer, and tour Dana Point Harbor on kayaks.

“We hope these immersive experiences spark a lifelong curiosity about the ocean,” Farinella said, “while helping children build confidence, ask questions, and see themselves as future scientists, explorers, and ocean stewards.”

More information can be found at oceaninstitute.org/summer-camp.