Cost of Program – 2014-2015
Gulf Stream Nature Excursion - (from Carolina Beach)
Cost of program: $97 per student if have 65 or more students. One teacher attends free for every 30 students paying. The maximum group size for this trip, including all adults, is 80.
CONTINGENT TRIPS:
On days when it is too rough to go into the ocean, we can, under most circumstances, run a trip where we explore the variety of marine habits in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin. Many of the same activities which are part of the Gulf Stream trip are offered, including fishing. We are fortunate to have many different types of inland waters in this area. This trip will show students the richness of coastal biology. We are sometimes able to enter the ocean for a small portion of these "Contingent Trips", depending on how large the waves are and what direction they are coming from. When possible, we like to give classes at least a taste of what it is like to be on open water.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Carolina Ocean Studies
P.O. Box 550
Carolina Beach, N.C. 28428
phone 910-458-7302
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: The "Gulf Stream Nature Excursion" program is designed to introduce students to the ocean and its wonders. Marine educators will be aboard to add insights to our discoveries and to lead on-board discussion. We will be traveling nearly 40 miles from shore towards the Gulf Stream current. While near this current, we will fish for grouper, snapper, sea bass and porgies. Likely observations include dolphin swimming along side our vessel and jumping in our wake, sea turtles which can weigh over 300 pounds, and beautifully colored fish of the Gulf Stream.
COURSE DESTINATIONS: Frying-Pan Shoals Light Tower, eddies of Gulf Stream, hard bottom reef areas, and past undeveloped barrier islands.
ACTIVITIES: Different activities are offered on each excursion. They include:
-deep sea fishing with rod and reel
-working a shrimp trawl
-use of fish traps
-on deck interpretation of findings
-seafood workshop with freshly caught fish
-collecting sargassum sea weed
VESSEL: The 85' S.S. Winner Queen located in Carolina Beach, 15 miles south of Wilmington, NC. This vessel is U.S. Coast Guard inspected and certified.
WHAT TO BRING: Fishing rods, tackle and bait are provided. It is a good idea to bring a couple of rags to use for wiping your hands. We also suggest participants bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a tight fitting hat. Clothing should be able to accommodate a variety of weather conditions; layering is most effective. Be sure to wear shoes with non-skid soles that lace up (tennis, basketball, skateboarding or deck shoes are recommended). No flip-flops or sandals, please. Binoculars and a camera are nice to have. There is no snack bar aboard the boat so everybody needs to bring whatever they want to eat and drink. You may bring your lunch, snacks and beverages in a small cooler. Students should bring their personal items in a small bag with their name clearly marked.
MOTION-SICKNESS: Several over-the-counter medications are available in pharmacies, most of these cost less than $6.00 at drug stores. Prescriptions are also available from your doctor for other medication. Ask your pharmacist for advice on motion sickness medications. It is very helpful to get a good night’s rest before the trip, to eat bland (not greasy or spicy) food for breakfast, and to eat crackers during the trip. Food with ginger as a prominent ingredient is helpful to many people (ginger snaps, dried candied ginger, even “ginger ale”). We will not go into the ocean on especially rough days. Even moderate seas, however, can affect some people.
We do not go on the ocean when it is real rough. However, many people that go on the ocean for the first time can be vulnerable to sea-sickness. Sea-sickness can often be avoided by planning and preparing ahead of time.
q eat a good dinner the night before, consisting mainly of bland, high carbohydrate foods; avoid greasy foods or highly acidic foods
q pack a lunch that includes lots of food; avoid greasy food, though salty potato chips often helps; pack saltine crackers, plain bread and carbonated drinks: ginger ale and sprite seem to work best
q get a good night sleep before the trip
q consider taking motion sickness medication (talk to your pharmacist for details); most motion sickness medication is available over the counter for less than $6.00; it is important to take most of these medications several hours before arriving at the dock;
q eat a good breakfast but avoid greasy food
q once you are on the boat avoid sitting in areas where smells bother you; if you feel queasy, it is best to sit outside and stare at land or at the horizon
q stay out of the cabin if you feel queasy!; fresh air and an open view are very important
q as soon as you first start feeling the least bit queasy do something about it RIGHT AWAY: move to a place you are more comfortable, start eating crackers, and try to keep your mind off of feeling queasy.
-THE BEST WAY to avoid seasickness is to:
1. eat crackers or other plain food and keep eating them - they help absorb the bad acids that are released in your stomach;
2. try to stay busy!! This is the best way to avoid seasickness. Talk with your friends about things that interest you. If you can keep your mind off of it you got it beat! Enjoy the wonder of the ocean and everything there is to see!
Gulf Stream Nature Excursion: Trip Itinerary
Meeting time: 7:30 AM Return time: approx. 6:00 PM
Destination:
We usually travel approximately 45 miles SSE from Carolina Beach Inlet toward Frying Pan Shoal Light Tower. We will fish on the hard bottom reef habitat which is located on the edge of Gulf Stream waters. Eddies of the Gulf Stream current influence the ecology of this area, with warm water eddies often reaching within 35 mile of Cape Fear.
Description of program:
This program provides a general overview of marine science in the SE Atlantic with an emphasis on the ecology of reef fishes and the influence of the Gulf Stream current. Activities include collecting by way of crab pots, fish traps, otter trawls, plankton tows, and dip nets. All participants also fish; likely catch include various porgies, grunts, sea bass, vermilion snapper, and grouper. There will be about 3 hours of the trip dedicated to hook and line fishing.
We usually pull a crab pot aboard the boat while in Myrtle Grove Sound. After leaving the dock there will be a 30 minute ride to the inlet. We will pass through several different bodies of water on the way to the ocean, including the Intracoastal Waterway, Snow's Cut Canal, and past the Cape Fear River. Discussion will focus on the interactions between these waters.
Upon entering the ocean an otter trawl will be deployed from the boat in order to collect nearshore vertebrates and invertebrates. After hauling in the trawl catch, we will head offshore; it will be about a 2 1/2 hour ride to the fishing grounds off of Frying Pan Shoals. On the way towards the shoals we will discuss and pass around the various collections from the trawl and pots.
Also while en route to the Shoals, we will discuss the Gulf Stream, hard bottom reef ecology, sea turtles, and other topics. We will also help participants become familiar with use of the fishing rods. This is a great time to see playful bottlenose and spotted dolphin swimming towards the boat and often riding in the boat’s wake.
While in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream we will attempt to collect sargassum sea weed. Participants are encouraged to assist instructors in searching through the sargassum to find the endemic life associated with this floating habitat; this includes one of the most remarkable of the world's fishes, the sargassum fish, as well as sargassum shrimp, crabs, nudibranchs, bryozoans, and various juveniles fishes, often including file fish, dolphin fish and other pelagics.
After fishing for about 3 hours we head back to the dock, reversing our earlier course. On the way in we identify and discuss the various fishes that were caught. Often we will conduct a seafood cooking demonstration with samples of the freshly caught fish for everyone.
In addition to what is collected, likely observations include bottlenose (inshore) and spotted (offshore) dolphin and loggerhead sea turtles. Flying fish are also observed from late May - early October.