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STUDENT PROGRAMS

STANDARD PROGRAMS |  SCUBA PROGRAMS | ADVANCED PROGRAMS | FIELD TRIPS & LAB ACTIVITIES  
WATER SAFETY & SNORKELING | TEACHER COMMENTS

MarineLab is a combination of introductory discussions and hands on activities.  Each day is a new adventure! Snorkeling in the varied marine communities, plus interactive discussions with experienced marine biologists reinforce science concepts introduced in students' home classrooms.

Student groups spend two to six days learning about these marine habitats of Key Largo through snorkeling. Over 20,000 students from the United States, South America, Canada, Korea, and Japan have participated in MarineLab programs since our facility opened in 1985.   Ranging in age from 8 to 80, these students experience ecological concepts and observe marine creatures in their natural habitats through the use of mask and snorkel. Teachers can schedule standard programs, or customize their own program, even including SCUBA!

The level of instruction is variable depending on the age of the student group. We have a core curriculum, consisting of seagrass ecology, mangrove ecology, and coral reef ecology which is the basis for every MarineLab program. Lengthier programs add hardbottom and coralline algae ecology, contain more trips to the coral reefs, and may include Everglades hydrology. The daily schedule consists of labs and lectures in the evening and snorkeling field trips by day. Visit our Standard Programs page for details, including sample itineraries,  on our programs, or check out our Field Trips and Lab Activities page for specific descriptions of where we go and what we see and do there.