The mission of SCUBAnauts International is to educate teens in the marine sciences, enabling them to make a positive impact on the environment and empowering them to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Photogrammetry Is A Team Sport

Hello, my name is Garrett and I was the photogrammetry lead on the March Keys trip with Mote Marine Lab. I am from the Crystal River Chapter and am still a Naut-in-training. I have been in SCUBAnauts for a little over a year now. The March Keys trip offered a...

Coral Outplanting and Image Capturing

Sunday, October 23, was the third day of our adventurous Keys trip. This was the day we finally got to start diving! We woke up, got ready and left for Captain Hooks, which is the dive shop that we partner with. The first three dives on Sunday, our goal was to...

Scholarship Program in Action

This past year has been a phenomenal experience in the organization, and I feel honored to be a member.  The scholarship program provided me with most of the gear, and all of the training I need. I’ve felt overwhelmed at times, but that’s just because I’m still new to this whole diving thing. Overall I would say that SCUBAnauts has had a phenomenal impact on my life, and I can’t wait to continue my journey.

A New Generation of Corals

This week, 6 other SCUBAnauts and I departed to Mote Marine Laboratory in Summerland Key, Florida. Mote requested SCUBAnauts to help record first time data on the spawning of outplanted Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis). Mote Marine Lab uses one form of coral...

Red Lights Only – A Coral Spawn Tale

I was assigned to look after two tanks that had two to three pieces of coral in them. After a couple of hours, a different tank that I was not watching over started to spawn while my coral never started to set. Setting is the process where the coral start to create their gamete bundles.

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Corals Changing Oceans, Careers and Friendships

Corals Changing Oceans, Careers and Friendships

I never imagined a summer SCUBAnauts trip would completely change my life goals. In all honesty I was kind of nervous since I hadn’t met most of the other Nauts before departure day. But there’s something about scuba diving that brings people together! The group of 15...

Hips Don’t Lie – Land Lubbers Have Fun Too

Hips Don’t Lie – Land Lubbers Have Fun Too

The first week of June, ten SCUBAnauts traveled to the Florida Keys for a week of diving. This was a special trip, because none of the nauts had been on a summer mission before, and they were scheduled to undertake 24 dives in just 7 days! Each team was responsible for developing and executing a science project with some dives to support our coral restoration partners sprinkled in the middle. See what Crystal River naut Lena has to say about the first three days. It’s not just about the diving!

Capitol Hill Ocean Week Returns

Capitol Hill Ocean Week Returns

Each year, SCUBAnauts attempts to fly up to Washington D.C. to take part in Capitol Hill Oceans Week (CHOW). Unfortunately, due to the Corona Virus, the last two years for CHOW have been a virtual event. This year, however, the event was in-person. We arrived on...

Environmental Hearings and Politics

Environmental Hearings and Politics

My favorite part of the trip, however, was sitting in on a hearing of an environmental committee in congress. As an individual who is interested in a career in politics, the debate was extremely interesting. It was fascinating to see how the vastly different agendas of the Republican and Democratic parties interacted on environmental issues.

The World Below the Rig

The World Below the Rig

When I woke up the morning of the oil rig dive, I wasn’t expecting much. It’s an oil rig, not a reef, it should be pretty dead under the waves right? Wrong. Soon after my giant stride into the water, I was shocked to see the vast expanse beneath me. This was my first...

Paddling, Kayaking, and Saving Corals

Paddling, Kayaking, and Saving Corals

In November, a group of ten nauts traveled from around Florida to Summerland Key for four days of diving-- or at least of adventures! For our first day in the Keys, we spent the morning studying organism identifications. We were divided into two groups, one group did...

Marine Debris and Invasive Species Removal in the Florida Keys

Marine Debris and Invasive Species Removal in the Florida Keys

Nauts from the North Carolina Chapter traveled to the Florida Keys to directly tackle two of these in conjunction with the Florida National Park Service in Biscayne Bay National Park. These advanced Nauts removed hundreds of pounds of trash from the reefs as well as dozens of invasive lionfish AND still found time to blog about it!

Scientific Diver Training at Alexander Springs

Scientific Diver Training at Alexander Springs

Have you ever wondered what fantastic secrets lie beneath the surface of the water? I have!  SCUBAnauts is a great place to discover some of the answers!  With each trip and experience, more of the underwater world is uncovered for me.