Campus Life

TAMUG offers Sea Camp for budding marine biologists.

June 18, 2013 | by Division of Marketing & Communications

They’re called Sea Squirts, and they represent Texas A&M University at Galveston’s youngest campers.

For the first time its 28-year history, Sea Camp is offering the Sea Squirts Program for four- and five-year old children to experience the wonders of a marine environment, while accompanied by a parent. Sea Squirt campers adds to the existing Sea Campus Kids marine camp day program for children from six- to 11-years-old.

Sea Squirts look at marine life up close. Daisy Dailey, director of Sea Camp, says the value of this type of early education peaks a child’s curiosity about the world around them within the structure of a supervised day camp.

“Providing enrichment activities for pre-K children facilitates their interest in science,” she said.

Our youngest sea campers can join an inquiry expedition to the water’s edge. Sea squirts and their parents explore the wonders of a salt marsh habitat.

More than 1,800 students are participating in this year’s Sea Camp, which offers residential, hands-on marine adventures for 10-18-year old campers in the  summer.

Sea Campus Kids (day camp) is available for age’s six to 11. Sea Campus Kids participate hands-on and feet-in as they wade through a salt marsh, visit a turtle hatchery, dissect a fish or seine the surf and are monitored by a university marine biologist.

Sea Squirt

Splish splash with marine life

Sea Camp also offers a Talented & Gifted (TAG) camp program for high ability students in rising grades 8-12. Residential campers in this talented and gifted program are involved in advanced camps such as pre-med, marine science research, veterinary medicine and much more.

While the university offers a broad range of options for Sea Campers, it also provides teachers with internship opportunities as well as options to earn State Board of Education (SBEC) hours at no charge. Approximately 100 K-12 educators participate in Sea Camp as counselors.

Popular activities of Sea Camp include the following:

  • Research vessel trips

  • Salt marsh excursions

  • Shark dissections

  • Oyster reef ecology

  • Field trip destinations include:

  • Moody Gardens

  • The Galveston Historical Foundation (Harbor Tours, Elissa)

  • Houston Zoo

  • Kemah Aquarium

  • The Texas State Aquarium

  • Padre Island National Seashore (to witness release of sea turtle hatchlings)

  • Sea Center Texas

Sea Camp encourages camp registration in advance as camps are in high demand. For more information, contact the Sea Camp Business Office between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday – Friday at (409) 740-4525 or Sea Camp Dorm Office (409) 740-4759 or seacamp@tamug.edu