A learning vessel
Westlake Elementary School 5th grade students enjoy a hands-on educational journey aboard the O’Neill Sea Odyssey catamaran on Monterey Bay recently
O’Neill Sea Odyssey instructor Itzel Chavarria works with Westlake Elementary students on a marine science project during their recent cruise.
Westlake students ride on the catamaran’s multihull net as the vessel passes by the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on a recent foggy morning.
James Smith’s Westlake Elementary 5th graders including Stella Schantz, left, and Kaitlyn Folkins, second from left, learn to use compasses during a lesson in navigation as they enjoy a recent cruise on Monterey Bay aboard the O’Neill Sea Odyssey catamaran. O’Neill Sea Odyssey has been in action since it was founded by wetsuit innovator and surfing icon Jack O’Neill in 1996 and has served over 127,000 students since its inception. Each year the program provides over 180 classes from Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara counties with access to hands-on learning through free and transformative ocean-going educational experiences. The organization prides itself on providing cruises to students from diverse backgrounds to ignite their scientific curiosity and empower them to take action to protect oceans and watersheds. During each three-hour program 4th through 6th graders and special education students from schools throughout Central California receive hands-on lessons in marine biology, marine ecology and navigation. The program is conducted on board the Team O’Neill catamaran with follow-up lessons in the classrooms and labs at the shoreside Jack O’Neill and Harry Hind Education Center at the Santa Cruz Harbor. O’Neill Sea Odyssey Executive Director Tracey Weiss said that the Sea Odyssey “serves 5,000 students annually, a majority of whom are multilingual learners, underrepresented minorities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged. For many students, this is their first experience being out on the water.”
Westlake 5th grader Evie Heredia examines a horseshoe crab exoskeleton during the outing.
Emma Kiely, right, and her Westlake 5th grade classmates soak in the beauty of the Monterey Bay from the catamaran’s net.