Floating Classroom with Colossal Academy and Surf, Skate, Science

Overview

On the morning of April 14th, 2025, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted a Floating Classroom with 16 students and 7 chaperones from Colossal Academy and Surf, Skate, Science. We met the students at the docks of FIU’s Biscayne Bay satellite campus where we hopped aboard DISCOVERY Vessel River Queen and headed out for what was a beautiful day on the waters of Biscayne Bay. To start our day, our Educational Outreach Associate, Jack, led a talk on the history of South Florida’s watershed, the biodiversity and unique types of coastal ecosystems of Biscayne Bay, as well as the effects and types of pollution. Following this, we pivoted into an activity where we learned about the parameters of water quality and how to test for them. Putting this into practice, our Community Engagement Associate, Lillian, led students in using our Earth Echo Water Quality test kits to study the health of the Bay through pH, temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen tests. As we finished this activity, we arrived at Sandspur Island where our students and team ended our day with an island cleanup on its shores. In less than an hour, our students managed to remove more than 132 pounds of trash from Sandspur Island! We had a fantastic day on the water with Colossal Academy and Surf, Skate, Science, and we offer a huge thanks to them for their hard work as well as D/Y River Queen for hosting us.