Island SkillsWhat Every Island Kid Should Know

As the waters warm, a local legend returns from the springs—and what better way to welcome them back than by kicking off Summer Camp 2026 in their honor! Manatees, often called sea cows, are large, big-boned marine mammals that spend their days drifting through seagrass beds and grazing on underwater meadows. They munch, crunch, and grind so much seagrass that their teeth wear down over time, only to be replaced by new molars marching right behind them. This week, we’ll cover every inch of the estuary in hopes of spotting a manatee cruising by. Campers will observe manatee bones and teeth, learn the signs to look for when a manatee may be near, and play plenty of games as they explore the challenges these gentle giants face. Just as it’s time for manatees to return to Sanibel, it’s also time for our campers to return for another amazing summer at our sandy bucket school—and we can’t wait to see you both!

Beneath the murky, shallow waters lives one of the ocean’s most extraordinary creatures—the smalltooth sawfish! Slicing and dicing through the water, these unmistakable rays have a super-long snout, or rostrum, lined with sharp teeth. Sawfish use their rostrum to delicately locate their prey—then THRASH! With one swipe of the saw, their prey is stunned, making mealtime easy. This week, we’re going to thrash around in the water with some sawfish Marco Polo and nose our way into the mangroves to try to catch a glimpse of these elusive, cartilaginous fish. Campers will make their very own rostrums out of palm guards and play plenty of fast-paced hunting games that mimic sawfish movements. It’s going to be a smalltooth week with BIG fun!

If you’ve visited our campus recently, you may have noticed our newest ambassador animal - an Eastern Indigo Snake! Lovingly named Olive by last year’s campers, she has been drawing plenty of attention, so we have decided she deserves a week all of her own. The Eastern Indigo is the longest native snake species in the United States. More than 20 years ago, these remarkable creatures were once common on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Today, however, their populations are declining due to increasing environmental threats, and they are no longer found on Sanibel. During this special week of camp, we’ll learn all about SCCF’s efforts to monitor nearby indigo populations, slither through fun obstacle courses, and get an up-close look at one’s beauty—with Olive as the star of the show. Of course, with all this slithering on land, we’ll have plenty of time to cool off as we surf the waves in the Gulf. We hope to ssssee you there!

Did you know that snail shells can be left-handed (sinistral) or right-handed (dextral)? Just like humans, left-handed snails are rare—only about 10% of all mollusk species have shells that spiral in this direction. Here on Sanibel, we’re lucky to have one of the most iconic sinistral species: the lightning whelk, named for the striking, lightning-like stripes that adorn its shell. In fact, one of the largest lightning whelks in the world was found right here on this very island! This week, we’ll follow snail trails in the intertidal, experiment with opposite-hand challenges, get up close and personal with microscopes, and—of course, in true Sanibel Sea School fashion—head out on the waves to show off our surf skills.

Unlike many tribes in North America, the Calusa were unique in that they built tools out of shells, houses atop giant mounds, and foraged on the seas for food. Instead of living off the land, they lived off the ocean. And you know what? That’s what our mighty Sea Schoolers do, too! We’re going to live off the sea this week, just like every week of summer camp, but we’ll do it Calusa-style and go primitive. We will eat off of plates that we weave ourselves, build shelters on the beach, and fish with only our hands and nets. You’ll not want to miss this classic Sanibel Sea School camp. Step back in time with us; we’ll go back thousands of years to when the Calusa ruled the coast.

Remember the tagline for Goldfish crackers— “the snack that smiles back”? Well, we’re pretty sure they got their inspiration from a sheepshead. All jokes aside, these fish genuinely do look like they’re smiling right back at you. Sheepshead have human-like teeth that closely resemble those of sheep (hence the name), complete with well-defined incisors, molars, and grinders. They use these powerful teeth to crush and grind the hard shells of crustaceans and mollusks. Join us for a week full of toothy activities, a fish dissection, and black-and-white art. Grab your masks and snorkels—sheepshead love to hide among structures and rock pilings, just waiting to be discovered. You won’t want to miss the week that’s sure to be love at first bite.

Ladies and gentlemen, from Sanibel, Florida… weighing in at one pound and standing 15 inches tall… the crazy comedian, the jokester… the Laughing Gull! And now making its way to the ring… migrating from the north… weighing nearly a pound and standing an impressive 19 inches tall… the king, the competitor… the Royal Tern! This week is all about gulls versus terns. We’ll compare and contrast them, learn the tricks for species identification, and ignite a new love for birding. Campers will go head-to-head in friendly rivalry games, swoop into feathery microscope investigations, and settle the score with none other than a Sanibel Sea School classic – Capture the Fish!

Every once in a blue moon, we’re lucky enough to witness the world’s largest sea turtle—the leatherback—emerge from the Gulf to nest on our shores. These remarkable turtles are truly one-of-a-kind. Unlike other sea turtles, leatherbacks lack scales and a hard shell; instead, their bodies are covered in tough, rubbery skin, which earned them their name. They are also incredible travelers, migrating more than 10,000 miles each year between feeding and nesting grounds. This week, campers will bring leatherbacks to life by creating life-size turtle tracks in the sand, designing art inspired by their unique shells, and experimenting with temperature to better understand the environments these turtles depend on. And after all that hands-on learning in the sun, we’ll cool off the best way we know how—by surfing and snorkeling along the shoreline.

What’s squishy, gelatinous, and almost stingy all over? Jellies! These fascinating invertebrates are mostly H2O and use tentacles lined with cnidocytes—specialized stinging cells—to catch their prey. With surprisingly complex life cycles, jellies are the ultimate symbol of a go-with-the-flow attitude, which is exactly why we love celebrating them at camp. This week, we’ll drift with the currents, create tentacle-inspired art, and build models to explore how their lightning-fast stinging cells work. From moon jellies and sea nettles to pink meanies galore, so many incredible species visit our shores. Don’t worry—no one will get stung—but trust us, you’ll be jelly if you miss out. Grab your snorkel gear and get ready to float with the jellies!

One of the world’s greatest mysteries lies beneath the ocean’s surface—the deep sea. Nearly 66% of Earth’s surface is covered by ocean deeper than 656 feet, yet only about 0.001% of this realm has been directly observed by scientists or cameras. In total darkness, crushing pressure, and extreme temperatures, the creatures of the deep have evolved extraordinary adaptations to survive. Some glow with bioluminescence, while others have fluid-filled spaces in their bodies to withstand immense pressure. Some grow to enormous sizes, while others remain teeny-tiny. Some can even become nearly transparent, disappearing into the vast expanse of the deep. Get ready for an unforgettable week learning about deep-sea creatures and their amazing adaptations. We’ll create art using glow-in-the-dark paint and conduct experiments that are sure to “brighten” any day. And of course, there’s no better way to celebrate than under the stars during a favorite Sanibel Sea School tradition—a night snorkel.

A toadfish gets its name from its croaking and its bumpy, warty appearance. Often found hiding in empty shells or tucked into caves on a reef, they make noise by rapidly contracting specialized sonic muscles against their swim bladder. This week, we’re going to discover some of the lesser-known sounds of the sea and learn how fish, quite commonly, use sound to communicate. It’s time to get chit-chatty and loud and proud. We’ll make symphonies of our own by creating instruments that mimic toadfish, use a hydrophone to listen below the surface as scientists do, and learn why all this fishy-noise could be a key to their conservation.  And, because we love seining at Sanibel Sea School, we’ll dip our nets into the water and see if we can find any other fish that might make a peep. This week is going to be toad-ly amazing, and we want you there!

Put your claws in the air and wave them like you just don’t care! It’s Fiddler Crab Week, and we can’t think of a better way to end the summer than with a week full of intertidal explorations, stinky mud walks, and burrow-building to our hearts’ content. But you’ll have to be quick this week, campers—fiddler crabs are speedy critters! They dash across the sand and slip into their burrows in the blink of an eye. Males are easy to spot with their one giant claw, which they wave back and forth to attract mates, giving them their name. This week, we’ll travel near and far to find all three species: marsh, red-jointed, and sand fiddlers. By the end of the week, campers will be experts at telling them apart. We’ll make crab-claw art, race in crab-walk relays, and spend plenty of time exploring. Quit fiddlin’ around, get sunscreened up, it’s time for summer camp!