Youth Marine Biology & Intertidal Citizen Science

Saturdays turning curious eight-year-olds into field researchers with real instruments.

Booking now
Each session2 hr a session
How oftenOnce a week
Cohort8–12 per cohort
SeasonYear-round · a new cohort starts each month

What you leave with

A scientific poster of your own data, presented to your family on the beach

Scientific tools used properly: transect lines, sampling quadrats, refractometers and field microscopes, building an authentic marine ecology dataset on the reef.

This is the one class in the category that is not drop-off. It happens on wet rock beside open water, so one adult stays per four children.

What makes this one worth it

  • Intertidal Zonation & Quadrat Sampling Methods
  • Marine Invertebrate Anatomy & Behavioral Observation
  • Water Chemistry, Salinity & Temperature Metrics
  • Data Synthesis, Scientific Posters & Family Presentation

What is included

  • All 4 sessions of the 4-week cohort — 8 hours of instruction
  • A place held for you for the whole run, in a cohort of 8–12
  • Every piece of equipment listed below, provided on the day
  • Your instructor, and their attention in a group this size

What to bring

  • Water, and something to eat if you want it
  • Nothing else — the kit is provided

How it runs

Once a week · 2 hr a session

Frequency
1x / week — Saturday, 2 hours
Session length
2 hr
Each month
4 sessions, about 8 hours
Cohort size
8 – 12 participants
Where
Rocky coastal tidepools, La Jolla Shores reef, and Cabrillo marine shelves
Level
Youth ages 8–13
Commitment
Monthly — stay as long as it is worth it

What you cover, in rotation

The group works through these in order and then begins again on fresh ground. Join at whatever stage it is on — nothing here assumes you were there for the last one, and nothing runs out — or drop in for a single session if that is all you can manage.

  1. Stage 1Intertidal Zonation & Quadrat Sampling Methods
    • Tidepool safety, negative tides, and ethical wildlife touch protocols.
    • Setting up one-metre transect lines and sampling quadrats on the reef.
    • Counting barnacle, limpet and mussel populations in the splash zone.
  2. Stage 2Marine Invertebrate Anatomy & Behavioral Observation
    • Sea anemone feeding mechanics, observed with plankton pipettes.
    • Hermit crab shell selection and crab territory behaviour.
    • Field microscopes on live water samples and plankton.
  3. Stage 3Water Chemistry, Salinity & Temperature Metrics
    • Refractometers to measure salinity in isolated tidepools.
    • Dissolved oxygen and pH across deep and shallow pools.
    • How warming and acidification affect shell-building creatures.
  4. Stage 4Data Synthesis, Scientific Posters & Family Presentation
    • Compiling field data into charts and ecological summaries.
    • Uploading verified observations to the iNaturalist database.
    • A family presentation day over beach snacks.

4 sessions in the cycle, then it begins again on new ground.

Who leads it, and what is provided

Led by Marine biologist / scholastic science educator.

Reef safety, scientific sampling protocols, and citizen science moderation.

On the table when you arrive

  • Sampling quadrat frames
  • Transect tape measures
  • Field microscopes
  • Refractometers and field logbooks

Before you book

Know before you go

  • NOT a drop-off class — one adult stays per four children
  • It happens on wet rock beside open water; grippy closed shoes are required

Accessibility

  • Most travellers can participate

Cancellations and refunds follow our cancellation policy, which is the same for every activity on this site.

When it runs

August 2026

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Runs Not running

Sunday 9 August

  • 10amup to 12 guests

Usually runs Sundays.

This is the operator’s schedule, not live seat availability. We check the date with them and come back to you — nothing is booked or paid for here.

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