| 2013 registration starts March 1st for Members and March 15th for Non-Members |
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| Special Offers Group Discounts: Summer Camp groups of 5 or more qualify for group-rate pricing. Participants must register for the same week. For special pricing and registration, please contact oi@ocean-institute.orgor call (949) 496-2274. Free Cruise aboard the R/V Sea Explorer – NEW |
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The Ocean Institute is offering a Catalina Island Snorkeling Cruise on Saturday, August 3, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. The cruise is a day-long trip onboard the R/V Sea Explorer featuring snorkeling with Ocean Institute scientists leading you on an aquatic adventure through the island kelp forests and reef communities. Includes continental breakfast and BBQ dinner; bring your own lunch and snorkeling gear. Gear will be provided for catch and release fishing; fishing license required for those 16 and over.
Cost $85 (Ocean Institute members $75). For ages 9+, children must be accompanied by an adult. Cruise information and reservations: (949) 496-2274, dial “0” for the operator or visit www.ocean-institute.org.
Laguna Niguel Resident Amanda Conder Named Ocean Institute’s 2013 Volunteer of the Year
The Ocean Institute is pleased to announce that Amanda Conder of Laguna Niguel has been selected as its 2013 Volunteer of the Year. Conder has been a volunteer since 2009. She comes to the Institute weekly and has contributed over 2,500 hours of volunteer service.
“Amanda knows the Ocean Institute well, volunteers regularly and has a positive, friendly attitude,” observed Linda Blanchard, the Institute’s volunteer director. “She has saved me and other staff members countless hours through her hard work, and we’re very grateful to her.”
Conder volunteers in a variety of capacities. She feeds the Institute’s marine animals in aquaria, cares for the tanks, helps maintain the volunteer database, helps prepare for special events, assists the development department and helps with the administration of the Institute’s Adopt-a-Class program.
Conder is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has worked for both the City of Dana Point and a mortgage company. She discovered the Ocean Institute by accident during her first visit to Dana Point, and returned later to inquire about volunteering.
As a volunteer, she enjoys working with the Institute staff and other volunteers, and the diversity of volunteer opportunities that are available to her. She remarked, “If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
Blanchard added, “The work of Amanda and our other volunteers is essential to the mission of the Ocean Institute. They play a vital role in our success.”
Blanchard added that additional volunteers are welcome at the Institute. Information: Linda Blanchard, (949) 496-2274, ext. 221 or lblanchard@ocean-institute.org.
Ocean Institute Coastal Explorer Summer Camp for Ages 10-12
Registration is open for the Ocean Institute’s Coastal Explorer Camp, a week-long ocean education experience for children ages 10-12. There are five camps during summer 2013, beginning on each of the following dates: July 8, 15, 29, August 5, 19, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day.
Explore the beautiful, unique coastline of Dana Point in the activity-packed camp. Throughout the week, you will study the science of the surf zone in our laboratory and onboard the R/V Sea Explorer. You’ll have a chance to participate in fun activities focusing on marine animals and their environment. This camp includes a day of cruising along the coastline looking for blue whales, scientific sampling aboard our research vessel, kayaking in Dana Point Harbor, tide pool exploration, a visit to San Juan Capistrano’s Ecology Center and a day at the beach!
For ages 10-12. $285 per child (Ocean Institute members $255). Register online at www.ocean-institute.org or call (949) 496-2274.
Ocean Institute Open to the Public on Weekends – The Ocean Institute is open to the general public on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Weekend visitors can enjoy special seasonal exhibits, as well as hundreds of living ocean animals, and shark and jellyfish feedings. Cost: $6.50 adults, $4.50 children ages 3-12. Or, with the purchase of a membership, a family can enjoy year-round free admission, benefit from member-only events and receive discounts on all other programs.
Visitors can also board one of the Ocean Institute’s sea-going vessels, the state-of-the-art R/V Sea Explorer or the historic tall ship Spirit of Dana Point. Cruises are an additional charge. For information, visit www.ocean-institute.org.
Founded in 1977, the Ocean Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean preservation through education, setting the standard for educational excellence and serving as a leading resource for universities, museums, teachers and all others seeking to increase their knowledge of the ocean.
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Jim Graves



















