Channel Islands Marine Floating Lab

We went out on boat called a floating lab. We saw many pelicans on the rocks. There were dolphins and sea lions swimming alongside our boat. After sailing awhile we put out a large net and pulled it in to find all kinds of sea creatures. Our instructor, Tim, identified a lobster, a sea star, a crab, a sea urchin, and some fish. We got to touch and hold them too! He showed us how a sea star has many suction cups that attach to things, like even hair! The claws of a crab can be really strong too so we had to be careful holding the crab.
Then we went down in the cabin below to see a huge microscope that magnified a drop of ocean water. We could see and identify all kinds of little sea creatures alive in the water. It was amazing at all those tiny things that live in the water. Then he reminded us that sometimes we get a mouthful of ocean water when at the beach and swallow all these little critters--yuck!
Another instructor showed us how to measure the depth of water, the temperature of the water, the color of the water, and the wind speed and direction on a boat. The last station we went to was the "mud" station where we got to put a mud scooper into the ocean and bring up some mud. We searched through the mud looking for any shells or living creatures. Finally we got to TASTE the mud. It tasted like salty play dough combined with dirt! That crusty taste stayed in our mouth until lunch time.
It was a fun day out on the ocean. We even saw a dredging machine that got things out from the bottom of the ocean. We loved learning about and touching all the different creatures that live in our oceans.