Camps for Teens

Offered simultaneously to Island Skills weeks at all campuses (June 8 – August 28). CITs arrive one hour before the start of camp and leave one hour after the camp day ends. 

Monday: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Tuesday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

$265/week

Flagship and Homestead Only

This program is designed to teach our older campers the skills needed for leadership and future employment. CITs are a vital link between our younger campers and the counselors in our programs. We teach our CITs how to be leaders and positive role models to those around them through theory and practice. We assign duties and create and maintain performance expectations for these young leaders. We treat them with gentleness, love, and respect, but show them how to carry out the responsibilities they are now capable of and how to use their abilities to become excellent role models. All CITs will complete an online leadership training course before camp. On any given day, it is hard to tell who is having more fun, the campers or the CITs.

Some participants with prior CIT experience at Sanibel Sea School may be eligible to be a Senior CIT.

Click here for more information. 

Homestead Campus Only - 1300 Periwinkle Way

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday to Wednesday; overnight included Thursday to Friday.

$470/ week (Includes CPR Certification)

Wahine Toa is a Polynesian phrase that roughly translates to fierce ocean woman warrior. Ten teens will become ocean women warriors in our all female-led, girls-only camp this week. In this program, we’ll learn paddleboarding and life skills and gain confidence – girl power!  The girls must prove themselves worthy of the Wahine Toa title by completing paddling challenges, practicing practical urban skills, and camping overnight on an uninhabited island. The young ladies will not only walk away from this camp CPR/First Aid certified but with unforgettable memories and a lasting bond between them that only Wahine Toa survivors will understand. 

Homestead Campus Only - 1300 Periwinkle Way

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday to Wednesday; overnight included Thursday to Friday.

$470/ week

Would you have what it takes to survive if we sent you on your way with just a kayak and a compass? By the end of this week-long adventure to the lesser-known places on Sanibel, we promise you will. We’ll leave no shell unturned and inspect every nook and cranny of the mangroves, and we’re doing it by kayak! We’ll master basic paddle strokes, tow those in need, and learn what to do if you flip your boat. The plan includes learning to use compasses, fire-starting contests, and shelter-building competitions. We will also learn wilderness first aid and figure out how to find food and water in the great outdoors. At the end of the week, we’ll camp out on a remote island to put what we’ve learned to the test, followed by an epic surprise quest planned for the last day. The conditions will be primitive, and the bugs will be many, but the memories made will be unforgettable.

Keys Coral Reef Week - 2 Weeks Available

Charter bus transportation from Sanibel Island is arranged for both weeks. The bus will depart from our Flagship Campus on Monday and return on Friday. Campsite locations are listed below.

 $800/week

 The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is one of 14 sanctuaries in the nation, and we are lucky campers to be able to zip down and see sharks, eagle rays, goliath groupers, midnight parrotfish, pillar corals, mountainous corals, and the list goes on! Today, the sanctuary protects more than 2,900 square nautical miles of the Florida Keys’ coastal and ocean waters. For both weeks, we will camp in gender and age-segregated 8-person tents and head out on a snorkel boat each morning to study the reef. The afternoons will be spent conducting experiments and exploring snorkel spots from shore. It’ll be a hot, glorious week of learning, snorkeling with good and soon-to-be good friends, campfires, and tent competitions.

July 13 - 17 (Ages 13 to 14)

Campsite: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo

Renowned for being the country’s first undersea park, John Pennekamp encompasses an impressive 70 nautical square miles. This is our initial week of travel investigations to coral reef environments. We will focus on introducing camping and outdoor skills, successful living away from home, techniques for exploring new surroundings, basic identification of coral reef species, snorkeling skills, and simple laboratory investigations. Next to our primitive campsite are nature trails through the tropical hammock, swimming at the beach, and the perfect bonfire pit. We will take a snorkel boat from John Pennekamp’s marina, just a short walk from our campsite.

July 20 - 24 (Ages 15 to 17)

Campsite: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo

*Day trip included to Bahia Honda State Park on Thursday.

This is a more advanced week. We will use and hone camping skills, learn and practice more advanced snorkeling skills, dive deeper into identifying a broader diversity of coral reef critters, and conduct more extensive laboratory exercises. In general, we will ramp up the scientific components of learning about and describing coral reefs. We will camp at Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, but we have a memorable trip planned for Thursday to Bahia Honda State Park to snorkel at Looe Key. Along with its iconic Florida Keys scenery, sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and magnificent sunsets, Bahia Honda is known for its year-round balmy sea breezes that caress the shores.

Free; Application Required

Location – SCCF HQ (3333 SanCap Rd)

Welcome to "A Week in the Field," a transformative camp by Sanibel Sea School, designed to kindle the passion for environmental research in high school students. As part of our commitment to improving the ocean's future, this camp opens the door to a week-long journey where participants, ages 13 to 15, dive into the heart of conservation and research on the pristine shores of Sanibel Island. From digging in the mud in a mangrove forest to surveying shorebirds on the coast to combing the early morning beaches in search of sea turtle nests or water sampling and oyster measuring – we’ll do it all, and so much more! We will work alongside SCCF’s scientists to analyze and gather data, get hands-on experience in field techniques and research methods, and learn how to communicate results to various audiences.

Homestead Campus Only - 1300 Periwinkle Way

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

$450 per week

People of all ages engage with nature through fishing. Some fish for fun, some fish to eat. Some consider fishing an art, others a science. Regardless, fishing is much more than catching and conquering – it is about how we study, locate, handle, and safely engage with the fish we encounter. This week, we learn about fish, fishing gear, and techniques. We will walk and fish the beaches, get out on and in the water, and learn to read the water to find fish. We’ll don masks to glimpse into a fish’s world. The week concludes with a series of challenges where campers compete for the title of Champion Fisherperson. A special prize is included. We may catch fish; we may not, but we will have fun, and all be better equipped to enjoy a lifetime of this rewarding sport responsibly.