Travel Abroad
VTVLC Students can travel abroad to exciting locations like Bermuda or Honduras through VTVLC’s Marine Biology course! Marine Biology is designed to inspire young adults to understand and care about the ocean with authentic activities that contribute to the community and nature and involve students with organizations outside the school.
“This was an extremely amazing opportunity that has developed and been perfected over the years. It was an awesome trip with enjoyable classwork that caused students to think deeper. I thoroughly enjoyed the way this class helped me better understand the wide variety of opportunities within the field of marine biology. We had multiple engaging guest speakers who taught us all about their career paths and experiences within higher education. This helped me better understand my opportunities in the future. I also really enjoyed all the time we had in the water on our trip to Bermuda. It was amazing to see all the life interacting and to be amongst the captivating creatures. My favorite part of the trip was the night snorkeling. I loved only having a flashlight to illuminate the path ahead.”
About the Course and Trip
The ocean is a crucial lifeline shaping our existence in countless ways. But as our planet evolves, so does the impact of human activity on this vast underwater world. In this exciting marine biology course and trip abroad, students embark on a deep dive into the ocean’s mysteries, discovering just how essential it is to life on Earth.
Marine Biology is an innovative course for grades 9-12, combining online learning with hands-on, face-to-face experiences during the trip. The week-long trip, typically held in the Caribbean in mid to late June, offers students the chance to encounter fascinating marine creatures and tour the dynamic ocean floor while snorkeling or diving (for certified students). They will explore a world few get to see up close.
With an emphasis on conservation, this course is not just an exploration but also a call to action. Students will learn how the ocean unites us all—across time, space, and cultures. Get ready for an unforgettable adventure that will inspire a lifelong respect for the blue planet we call home!
Skills/Equipment
Students participating in this course should be comfortable in the water, as many activities will take place in and around the ocean. If students wish to dive during the trip, they must obtain their diver certification prior to departure. For those interested, Waterfront Diving in Burlington offers a 10% discount on certification and equipment when you mention the VTVLC Marine Biology course.
Students are encouraged to bring their own fins, mask, and snorkel. However, rental equipment is available for an additional fee if needed.
Timeline
Trip Date: Mid to Late June 2025
Trip Costs
Explore Past Marine Biology Trips
Until Next Time!
Yesterday the students found a piece of driftwood and decided to make a sign to leave at CCMI as a memory of us. We had an absolutely wonderful time and Little Cayman was everything we had hoped it would be. Until next time....
Swim, Explore, Repeat
This week has flown by and we can't believe it's our last day here! The sun was back and we packed up the van and headed out. Our first stop was to a beach that was in desperate need of clean up. After filling all of our garbage bags, Mother Nature rewarded us with a...
Gray Skies, Bright Impact
We woke up to rain and clouds today. We were all a little disappointed to have a dismal, rainy day, especially seeing it was our final day on the boat, but the locals were very excited as it was the first rain they had gotten in months, and they were happy to fill...
From Fins to Flashlights
We started our day with two more dives/snorkels from the boat. We put aside our REEF fish survey boards and learned how to survey a section of coral reef and how to collect the health of the reef that we observed. Did you know that only 9.8% of coral reef is still...
Off the Boat and Into the Blue
Today was our first day out on the boat! We left bright and early and headed to the dock to catch the boat that would take us out for our first boat snorkel/dive. We visited two sites this morning, Great Wall West, and Donna's Delight. Lucy and Cavan took to the deep...
Making a Splash
We had another jam-packed day! We started our day out with snorkeling at Mary's Bay and Point of Sand collecting our REEF survey information. Mary's Bay was a nice leisurely snorkel while Point of Sand was beautiful to look at but had a very strong current. Thankfully...
Mangroves, Seagrass, and Plankton Oh My!
We had a jam packed day today! We started off bright and early and headed out to Tarpon Lake to check out the three different kinds of mangroves that we learned about in our lecture this morning. There has not been much rain on Little Cayman so the lake was pretty...
We Made It!!!
Even though we had a very early start at 4:30 am, we were all smiles when we piled into the world's smallest propeller plane to make our "hop" over to Little Cayman! CCMI is directly on the ocean and it is breathtaking! We quickly threw on our swimsuits and wasted no...
Headed to Little Cayman!
It’s been a long time coming but the FY24 class for Marine Biology is finally headed to Little Cayman.
Florida Trip 2021
Take a trip to Key Largo, Florida, via our blog when we visited Sunset Cove in 2021.