Nevis Sea Camp ends on historic note!!

~~Adz:Left~~OUALIE BEACH RESORT, Nevis - ON Friday, August 1st, two dozen Sea Campers stood on the dock at Oualie Beach Resort and cheered on a little green sea turtle as he swam off to his ocean home sporting shiny new tags on his front flippers.

It was the last day of two successful weeks of Sea Camp at Oualie Beach Resort.  Sea Camp, run by marine biologist Barbara Whitman from Under the Sea Sealife Education Centre based at Oualie, was a resounding success with almost 50 children from St. Kitts and Nevis plus a handful of foreign students attending. 

Many of the children were there courtesy of sponsors who provided tuition for students recommended by the Ministry of Education. For many it was their third and fourth year attending Sea Camp which first began eight years ago.

The first week campers learned about marine invertebrates such as seastars, sea urchins, lobsters and conch. The second week was devoted to endangered and threatened species. Each week children took swimming and snorkeling lessons and learned how to pilot a boat. Andre Theron volunteered his expertise and instructed the children in survival skills.

The sessions ended with the tagging and release of a small green sea turtle that had been accidently caught by local fishermen in a net three weeks earlier. The turtle was held in a large aquarium at Under the Sea so that children could learn about sea turtles up close and personal.  Lemmule Pemberton from the Department of Fisheries came to Sea Camp and demonstrated how to tag a turtle and record important information.  Afterwards, the children stood on the dock at Oualie and waved goodbye to the turtle they named Kimberly.

Then they went back to the camp headquarters in a tent at Oualie to collect their certificates.  Each week, children were recognized for their efforts.  Each camper received a certificate of completion and some received awards for their outstanding accomplishments.  Awards went to:

Nicholas Cozier: Best Senior Camper Week One
Elijah Odie: Best Junior Camper Week One
Stephan Meade: Best Camper Week Two
Best Boat Handler: Navin Muniram, Stephan Meade, Steffon Sealey
Most Improved Snorkeler: Khaila Cozier
Best Snorkeler: Alix Theron, Sophie Theron
Best at Survival Skills: Mandela Caines, Steffon Sealey, Nicholas Cozier
Best at Marine Biology: Taylor Tyson

Under the Sea wishes to thank those kind individuals who sponsored Sea Campers. We would also like to thank Four Seasons Resort Estates, Mansa’s One Stop, Nevis Spring Water, Oualie Beach Resort and TDC  for their help and generosity. Thanks go to marine biologists Melanie Worob, Sarah Guarancini and Angela Pizza from New Jersey, USA who came to Nevis at their own expense and volunteered their time as instructors. 

Our appreciation goes to Samantha Wilson from St. Kitts who assisted at the camp and Andre Theron for his monumental fundraising efforts.