Exploration Camp Itinerary
Coastal Exploration Camp Itinerary:
Tidepooling, Kayaking, Kelp Beds and Rivers
June 2025: TBA
Designed for youth ages 9-12
For more information or questions email Kim at bluewaterventuressc@gmail.com or by phone at: 831 459 8548
Day One: Sit On Top Kayaking: Games, Team Building and Kayak Rescues
On our first day together, campers will be taught kayaking skills and safety in Moss Landing Harbor. We will be using sit on top style kayaks. The day will include a combination of paddling skills, rescue methods, fun games and activities. Wetsuits will be provided since students will be getting out of their boats during games and rescues. If you want to use your own wetsuit that’s fine. Please bring it along. Most kids really love learning rescues.
Campers will meet at 9:30am in North Moss Landing Harbor that accesses the Elkhorn Slough and finish up there at 2:00pm.
Day Two: From River to Sea: The San Lorenzo River Hike~Snorkeling
Riparian corridors are an intricate component to all marine ecosystems. On this adventurous day, campers will hike up stream exploring the shallow clear pools of the San Lorenzo River. As we hike though the redwood forest that surrounds the river, we will discuss the natural and cultural history of these majestic trees.
Using a mask and snorkel, we can explore shallow river pools and see what lives clinging to the submerged rocks. As always, PFDS worn even in the shallow river bed.
Begins at Blue Water Ventures: 127 Mason Street, Santa Cruz at 8:30am. We will caravan to our river location and the program will end there at 2:30pm
Day Three: Adventure Paddle~Exploration of the Kelp Forest
Today campers will slide off sit on top kayaks to have an eye level experience with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary! Using goggles or a mask/snorkel, we’ll take a look at the kelp forest or choose to remain dry and simply glide over the forest canopy searching for sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions and sea birds. Encompassing 5,322 square miles of ocean, our remarkable sanctuary supports one of the planet’s most biologically diverse marine ecosystems.
The use of sit on top kayaks with the option to submerge into the water gives us an entirely different perspective on our ocean world.
Begins and ends at the Santa Cruz Wharf 9:30am-1:30pm
Day Four: Tidepooling
Today we will be exploring the dynamic rocky shore habitat at Greyhound Rock with your camp naturalist. The Central California Coast contains some of the most diverse intertidal areas in the world! We will help campers understand the intricate adaptations of tidepool inhabitants such as sea anemones, sea stars, kelp crabs and cling fish.
A minus tide allows us to explore some areas that are only accessible during low tides.
While tidepooling we offer opportunities to explore nooks and crannies that require getting wet. Wearing a wetsuit and a PFD is required as we explore our beautiful intertidal.
Begins and ends at Blue Water Ventures: 7:00am-12:00pm ~127 Mason Street, Santa Cruz
Parents will car pool and caravan together to Greyhound Rock
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Blue Water Ventures
Naturalist-led field trips and adventures. We specialize in sea kayaking field trips for schools and adventures for women in the Monterey Bay, Baja, Belize, Tonga and beyond.
