SANTA CRUZ — Students from Ernesto Galarza Elementary School in San Jose enjoy an education sail Friday morning on the Monterey Bay aboard the O’Neill Sea Odyssey catamaran.
O’Neill Sea Odyssey has been in action since it was founded by wetsuit innovator and surfing icon Jack O’Neill in 1996 and has served over 127,000 students since its inception. Each year the program provides over 180 classes from Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara counties with access to hands-on learning through free and transformative ocean-going educational experiences.
The organization prides itself on providing cruises to students from diverse backgrounds to ignite their scientific curiosity and empower them to take action to protect oceans and watersheds. During each three-hour program, 4th through 6th graders and special education students from schools throughout Central California receive hands-on lessons in marine biology, marine ecology and navigation. The program is conducted on board the Team O’Neill catamaran with follow-up lessons in the classrooms and labs at the shoreside Jack O’Neill and Harry Hind Education Center at the Santa Cruz Harbor.
O’Neill Sea Odyssey Executive Director Tracey Weiss said that the Sea Odyssey “serves 5,000 students annually, a majority of whom are multilingual learners, underrepresented minorities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged. For many students, this is their first experience being out on the water.”