Sea Camp Inspires Young Environmental Stewards

Under the theme “Reef Rescue: The Next Wave,” the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) held another successful fun and informative Sea Camp in New Providence. This annual initiative provides empowering, educational, and fun experiences that use the natural environment as a tool to teach campers about the importance of protecting our oceans and their resources. Campers learned about the impacts of warming waters caused by climate change on fragile coral reef ecosystems. 

The Nassau Sea Camp was held at the Ardastra Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Centre where 30 children gathered for a week of hands-on activities fostering a deep connection with the ocean and our marine environment. Highlights of BREEF camps are daily snorkel expeditions to various public beaches, a tour of Clifton Heritage National Park and a mangrove snorkel at Bonefish Pond. This year, campers were also invited by the Incubator for Collaborative Expression (ICE) Bahamas to assist in painting a mural at the site on Old Trail Road. The mural titled "Reef Rescue: A BREEF Sea Camp Mural"was created in partnership with Incubator for Collaborative Expression (ICE) Bahamas. It transforms the entrance wall into a vibrant ocean-themed work of art that promotes marine conservation, recycling, and youth leadership. During the art session, campers and parents assisted in painting the mural and incorporating recycled sea glass alongside BREEF's Queen Angelfish logo, leaving a lasting legacy in the community. All the camp activities reinforced the importance of marine conservation and the role these young stewards can play in protecting their national heritage.

According to Davyn Jones, age 10, “I learned how to snorkel and saw a yellow tail snapper, and a lion fish. I was surprised first of all because we weren’t that far in the water so it was risky being so close to a lion fish.”

Viva Lee, age 11, said: "It was so fun seeing the bigger fish that we learned about during fish ID and the heads up fish ID game we played. I loved painting the mural. I got to paint the turtle and black soldier crab.”

During the Sea Camp, participants had the opportunity to explore nature and learn about various animals and habitats. Campers also participated in arts and crafts, games, and educational presentations. They embarked on numerous snorkel adventures, exploring local beaches and marine protected areas - learning about their cultural significance in The Bahamas and building a deep connection with the marine environment. Equipped with fish ID slates, the young explorers identified various fish and sea creatures, which was an exciting and educational experience for them.

The success of the Nassau Sea Camp has created great anticipation for future sea camps, which will be held in the next few weeks at Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera and Kamalame Cay, Andros. BREEF is excited to continue this momentum, inspiring more young minds to become passionate stewards of the ocean. This initiative fosters a sense of appreciation for the Bahamian marine environment, inspiring youth to become environmental stewards while teaching them practical water skills to safely explore Bahamian marine coastal ecosystems.

BREEF extends their gratitude to all of their sponsors including The Moore Foundation, Didier and Martine Primat Foundation and to all of the BREEF volunteers who assisted with the camp. For more information about BREEF and its educational programmes, please visit breef.org