SEA Programs Inc - Sailing Educational Adventures

09/04/2024

Good News, Everyone... We are hiring!

Looking for enthusiastic, creative, energetic, adventurous people to come and play in the mud with kids this summer 🐙🦑🦐🦞🦀🐟🐳🐋😁

09/04/2024

Sometimes learning cool stuff at SEA can involve terrestrial critters too. Slugs are pretty amazing animals. Vital to coastal forests.

19/01/2024

Good day to do some colouring

22/10/2023

Show respect for nature and its inhabitants!

✅ Refrain from feeding wildlife; allow them to forage naturally.

✅ Maintain a safe distance; avoid enticing or approaching them.

✅ Preserve their habitat by packing out what you packed in.

✅ Stay on designated trails for responsible exploration.

📸 I. Reid

22/10/2023

22/10/2023

Can you guess which Gulf Island our conservation team is visiting in these photos?

➡️Learn more about all aspects of conservation work at the national park reserve here: https://ow.ly/Fnjl50PRlvq

22/10/2023

16/05/2023

Breathe deeply.
Thank you kelp.

Is been a little while since I posted a photo (and PSA) about Bull Kelp. Here's righting that wrong. :)

Bull Kelp is among the Ocean's algae that produce 50 to 70% of the Earth's oxygen and are estimated to buffer 25 to 40% of the carbon dioxide. Yep, even if you live in the desert, your life is connected to the Ocean's algae.

The algae are the foundation of the marine food web and the bigger ones, like Bull Kelp, are forests of habitat for so many species. Thank you kelp.

___________

More about this version of Bull Kelp and its growth rate (shared on previous posts too):

Kelp and seaweed species are not plants. They are algae.
Bull Kelp is an annual. Most of the big version dies off in the winter.

What you see in this photo is the “sporophyte” version of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana). It results from the reproduction of a completely different-looking version of the same species, the small “gametophye”. Yes, it’s alternation of generations.

The stipe (stem-like structure) of Bull Kelp can grow to be 36 m long. The stipe would have to grow an average of 17 cm a day to reach this length in the 210-day growing period (source: Druel). It has to grow so quickly to reach the sun and be able to photosynthesize, helping support life on Earth.

If you include both the rate of growth of the stipe and the fronds (leaf-like structures), Bull Kelp can grow 25 cm per day on average to reach the surface (source: Duncan).

More on the wonder of Alternation of Generations in my blog here https://themarinedetective.com/2020/07/05/what-on-earth-is-alternation-of-generations/

Information on how the kelp anchors itself with a holdfast (which you can often find on the beach), see
https://themarinedetective.com/2020/10/07/holdfast/.

Photos: April 30, 2023 in 'Namgis Territory, NE Vancouver Island ©Jackie Hildering, The Marine Detective

08/05/2023

Great day at SEA Programs Inc - Sailing Educational Adventures

24/03/2023

Find the Fish Friday!
There are those of you who will be delighted that this is an easier challenge. There are those of you who will feel a little deprived in there not being a need to get lost in the scenery to find the fish. There are those of you who may need a new prescription for glasses! All are welcome here. 💙

There is a juvenile Lingcod here. That is not a small fish.
See my link here for what they look like https://themarinedetective.com/2011/03/09/lingcod-fastidious-fanged-fathers/

I hope it makes you smile when you see the Lingcod. Remember, please do not reveal the location of the fish so others can enjoy the search. I will post the answer on Monday. As always, I really value the comments.

Also look for the Giant Gumboot Chiton, the Blue-line Chiton, and the Green Urchin with a nice hat. There are also Red and Purple Urchins, Giant Acorn Barnacles, Orange Cup Corals, snails and hermit crabs of various species, a Crimson Anemone, Fringed Filament Worms, a Blood Star, and the pink of Crustose Coralline Algae.

Happy weekend to you dear community.

Photo: March 12, 2023 NE Vancouver Island in 'Namgis Territory ©Jackie Hildering, The Marine Detective. Depth was around 6 metres.

24/03/2023

Throwback Thursday!

Throwing it back to 2009 and our first summer camps. ☀️🦀😊

2023 camps are selling fast! https://www.salishseacentre.org/summer-camps

24/03/2023

02/02/2023

Remember Sequin, our octopus who was recently released?

Well, here is an interesting fact — how much she grew in SIX months!

She arrived at 2.5lbs and when she was released weighed a whopping 25lbs! A lot of gooooood eating.

06/01/2023

The holiday break continues. Here is our day today by numbers:

-547 visitors (WOW!)
-76 items sold in our shop (Thanks for the support!)
-17 memberships purchased (Looking forward to seeing you again!)
-15 hardworking staff and volunteers on duty (Phew, we're all so tired.)
-6 lost items (Reunited with owners!)
-5 Educator-facilitated games (Learning disguised as fun!)
-2 stories read for storytime (Thanks for listening!)
AND
-1 new octopus! (Sorry folks, no picture of the lil'cutie yet!)

03/12/2022

Not a picky eater!

The kelp crab diet varies and is often seasonal depending on what's most abundant. In the summer they mostly eat kelp, while in the winter, they have a more carnivorous diet.

03/12/2022

Photographer Richard Robinson captured this image of a southern right whale known as ‘tohorā’ in Māori, a protected species that was hunted near to extinction 🐳

Experience this alongside more of the most striking wildlife photography of the year in a stunning exhibition opening on Friday December 16. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is coming to Victoria, only to the Royal BC Museum.

Plan your visit and skip the line by buying tickets at https://buff.ly/3BpXfkj

Extend the experience and check out The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness at IMAX® Victoria.

Shot under New Zealand Department of Conservation permit #84845-MAR

12/08/2022

Are we ready to get back to SEA yet?!?!

03/11/2021

Sounds great to me!

🚨JOB ALERT 🚨

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is hiring Visitor Services Attendants. 🏕️

💭 Imagine yourself spending your summers working primarily outdoors, traveling by boat 🌊 throughout the southern Gulf Islands, assisting visitors at campgrounds and communicating national park conservation objectives to the public. If this sounds like your dream job, look no further – it could be your reality! 😎

📅Application deadline: November 21, 2021.

Apply now ➡️ http://ow.ly/jI2e50GEIbk

09/06/2021

Happy World Oceans Week!

27/11/2020

Some amazing places to visit

British Columbia’s Gulf Islands are testament of an era when, during a period of internal strife, Hawaiian royalty left their tropical home for distant islands.

05/06/2020

Tomorrow, June 6th, is International Low Tide Day - the 21st Low Tide Day to be celebrated in Cowichan Bay !
This year, with Covid-19, we can’t have a gathering on Kil-pah-las Beach the way we usually do, AND we have a small team going out to film a quadrat study - usually done with a bunch of kids excitedly counting clams and marveling at (and listing) other species found in the mud - and a beach seine. Watch this space to celebrate with us and watch the video.

Low Tide Day began in 1995 in Brighton, England, led by the environmental organization River Ocean. Since then International Low Tide Day has celebrated “One tide on one day around the world” on the Saturday in May or early June with the lowest tide. In 1999 Cowichan Bay became the first Canadian community to celebrate International Low Tide Day, then co-sponsored by the Marine Ecology Station, Cowichan Land Trust, Cowichan Estuary Preservation Society, Cowichan Bay Improvement Association, and Cowichan Valley Naturalists, with support from Cowichan Tribes. This tradition has been carried on by the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre, the Land Trust and the CVNS with ongoing support from Cowichan Tribes and our local community.

25/03/2020

David Keith

Uncertain times but there's work to be done. :)
Please see details about our posting for Marine Educators / Data Analysts at www.mersociety.org/employment.
Then, share with those you think may be a good fit for team MERS?
These jobs are in Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada. Must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or have refugee protection under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (funding requirements).

13/02/2020

Throwback Thursday- the Schooner Passing Cloud was a founding member of the SEA fleet and continues to help with coastal education with its current operators.

12/02/2020

11/02/2020

Getting ready for a whole new season of Sailing Education Adventures!

09/02/2020

09/02/2020

Great chance to learn more about the ocean.

Join us for the Name/CaNOE 2020 Conference:
"Educating for Sustainable Seas: Diving into the Ocean Decade"
August 16-20, 2020
Pearson College UWC, Metchosin BC (outside Victoria)

https://www.pacname.org/conferences/name-canoe-2020/

07/02/2020

Throwback Thursday- SEA crew at Musgrave c. 1999

26/01/2020

Always good to learn more about the sea

*Important update for our 2020 conference*

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to change both the venue and the date for our summer conference. We are pleased to announce that we will be back at Pearson College in Metchosin, the site of the 2016 NAME conference. The conference will be held one week later due to the venue availability. We hope that you are still able to join us! Look for information on our call for presentations on our website, email, and social media channels soon!

NEW VENUE: Pearson College UWC in Metchosin, BC (outside of Victoria)
NEW DATE: August 16-20, 2020