There is a thing called the wrack line on every beach. It’s the spot where everything washed ashore during the last high tide was left behind in a zig-zag line parallel to the ocean.
Seaweed, driftwood, and plastic bottles may be immediately visible, but if you look carefully enough, there’s a whole ecosystem tucked under the wrack line to learn about.
That’s just part of one of the hours-long adventures designed for families and offered by the Sanibel Sea School.
A program with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the sea school offers its wildlife education in many ways: to school groups, in camps, in a family setting, and either on a public part of the beach or at the resort where vacationers are staying.
Shannon Rivard, the school’s director, says the most popular land-based adventures include those along the beach, within mangrove forests, and wading around seagrass meadows.
“In our sea grass bed sessions, families learn about estuaries, sea grass ecology, and basic fish biology, while using nets to gently catch and observe creatures,” she said. “Sea horses, tiny fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, and comb jellies often make an appearance -- and it gives participants a rare up close look at life below the surface.”
Marine science educators lead a lot of the learning events, whether guiding a family through Sanibel’s famous shelling areas looking for mysterious washed-up objects, live mollusks -- and along the way teaching about the biology of shells.
The sea school offers private classes for families, either on land or on a canoe. Those classes are usually two hours and can be customized to a family’s interests.
The three most popular classes are on land, either on the Gulf-side beaches, seagrass beds, or inside mangrove forests.
“For those who don’t mind getting a little muddy, our mangrove forest experiences are unforgettable,” Rivard said. “While spotting fiddler crabs and mangrove tree crabs, families learn how to identify mangroves and why these resilient trees are important to Florida’s coastal ecosystems.”
Classes start at $60 per person, but there are some discounts and scholarships for children in need.
For further information about the Sanibel Sea School, click here.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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