#7 All Things Sea Grass When we envision the beach, the images we conjure don’t often include grass, but nonetheless, grass plays an important role in beach ecosystems. Years of beach development has harmed shore ecosystems by removing and damaging sand dune grasses that help maintain the structure of beaches and avoid erosion. The threat of […]Read More
#6 Let’s Get Real About Sharks When the movie Jaws was released in 1975 it unlocked a mass hysteria towards sharks. While the now deceased author of Jaws Peter Benchley later stated he regretted the negative impact his book and movie had on sharks, the genre of shark horror lives on. Benchley, however, spent the rest […]Read More
#5 A Whale’s World Whales are beloved across the world: their size alone is enough to capture our attention, not to mention the mysterious lives they lead beneath the water’s surface. Scientists categorize whales into two groups: toothed whales and baleen whales. Toothed whales include beaked whales, sperm whales and orcas. Baleen whales include blue […]Read More
#4: Our Trash Isn’t the Ocean’s Treasure At some point, maybe even many times, we’ve all said, “I’m going to throw the trash away.” But where is away? Unfortunately, there is no magical place where our trash vanishes. Just because it leaves our sight doesn’t mean it is gone forever. There is 14 billion pounds […]Read More
#3 Kelp is Kool Sea otters, while well known for their cuteness, also play an important role in ocean ecosystems. In kelp forests sea otters are considered a keystone species—a species that the rest of the species in an ecosystem rely […]Read More
2: Creek Critters Citizen Science Schools might be closed for social distancing, but there is still opportunity for kids to get outside and learn. While our focus here at […]Read More
1: Jellyfish Jamboree by Arcadia Davies Jellyfish are beautiful to look at—the way they glide through the water resembles the popular lava lamps of the 1960s and 70s. But, like all organisms in the ocean, jellyfish are important for more than just […]Read More
by Arcadia Davies When I was three my family vacationed to Washington, and I saw the ocean for the first time. It was the orcas that first caught my eye; and on that trip my fascination for the ocean surfaced. Growing up in land-locked Ohio meant my relationship with the ocean had to be long […]Read More
PLEASE NOTE: NEW DATES FOR THE FLORIDA MARINE EXPEDITION: June 21-July 1, 2020. “Amazing trip! So thankful for everything—the experiences, scuba certification, the friends I’ve made. This has honestly been the best thing I’ve ever done in my life—will never foget it! I’m so sad that it’s come to an end.” — Ellie Siney, Florida […]Read More
A huge Happy Birthday today to Director of Dive Education Laura Mccallion who puts the mojo, hope, and safety into Ocean Matters. Laura has been with us since the very beginning, when we first received our nonprofit status 9 years ago in November. In that time, she’s led the dive component for a dozen projects; […]Read More