School & Scout Programs
Sanctuary Cruises offers great cruises for schools, scout troops and conservation organizations. They are far less expensive than our regular tours, and can be tailored to compliment what students are learning in school, scout troops or conservation organizations. We work with you to make sure your cruise is educational, rewarding, fun & memorable. Please contact me to talk over the possibilities:
Captain Heidi Tiura 530.778.3444 or email us
Not only do we take special care to introduce students to the marine environment and the sea life found on the Monterey Bay, but we also send them home with a healthy respect for our oceans. We frequently take school classes--and even entire schools--on whale watching or nature cruises and many of them return year after year.
We also host universities for their marine mammal courses. Recent cruises include UC Santa Cruz and University of the Pacific. We also just took all of the kindergarten classes from the International School in Monterey (one class seen below) on voyages of discovery.
Kim Reimer is one of the teachers at MIS. She wrote, "We all had a great time! For many of the students, it was their first time on a boat in the ocean. [Here are] quotes from the kids":
"I liked driving the boat."
“I saw sea otters floating on their backs.”
“I liked riding on the boat and eating.”
“I learned that the waves look like they are going to be really big but they just go down.”
“I saw birds swimming and diving.”
“She told me that there might be sharks on the bottom of the sea.”
“I saw jellyfish under the sea.”
“I like to be on the boat.”
“I learned not to fear boats.”
“The [naturalist] told us when ducks put their feathers in the water they don’t get wet.”
“We saw jellyfishes and otters.”
“I learned that river water is fresh and ocean water is salty.”
These are big revelations for a kindergartner. Some kids never get a chance to take a turn at the wheel, don't know the difference in salinity of rivers verses the sea, are afraid of boats and the ocean, and may not know birds' feathers are waterproof. But these kids do!
Here is our deckhand/naturalist Kate Cummings with kids from the International School.
She's holding her own creation, the answer to the question "How do you explain the dangers of balloons on the ocean?"
We have picked up hundreds of balloons over the years because they can kill birds and other sea life, who mistake them for food.
We put them into the trash until Kate got the idea to save these colorful reminders in a jar to illustrate our conservation story.
Kids really spark to the interactive lessons they learn while out there. They go home inspired to do their part to take care of the wild things.
On all of our cruises, we let kids take a turn at the wheel, giving them an idea of what it's like having the coolest job in the world.
"Heidi, I want to thank you so much for your kindness and interest on reaching all of us, you are a truly real, authentic teacher. We had a great time."
Marcela Ospina/Migrant Program Specialist/Salinas Union High School District. From Heidi: This message means a lot to us because the kids on this cruise are in the migrant families program. Their experience whale watching was most likely the first time anyone in their families has shipped out to see and learn about whales and dolphins, ocean conservation and how they can have an impact on it. They saw a huge pod of Risso's dolphins and were surrounded by them many times. They saw a gray whale and it cooperated wonderfully, allowing us to track it to one side. Because my partner, co-captain and love of my life Steph speaks fluent Spanish, the cruise was also fully bilingual. These kids got an exceptional experience.
Earth Explorers/Camp Sea Lab (the kids are holding whale baleen and vertebra-artifacts that help them understand more about the animals they saw). Each one got to drive the boat, but the best part of all had to have been the full 360 degree spin made by a humpback that breached nearby!
Here are the kids from Biggs Middle School. This photo was taken when we had our catamaran Princess of Whales. We have a smaller capacity with Sanctuary, but she is a great boat for kids because she's close to the water and the experience is more intimate. Biggs is located in California's Central Valley. Surrounded by humpbacks, dolphins and orcas, the kids had a fantastic day, especially since some had never seen the ocean before.
They sent thank-you letters afterward and their comments were telling:
"This experience really allowed me to see how beautiful the ocean is and all of the life forms that dwell in its beautiful blue waters." Tyler Wright
"Thanks for getting it into my head that pollution is a bad thing and is killing animals. I had so much fun!" Tatiana Peck
"I thought it was sad when we saw trash in the ocean, but was great you guys pick up the trash." Emily Howard
"I also liked how you let us drive the boat. That was very fun." Karina Villanueva
"I can keep the oceans clean by not littering." Lacie Smith
"I learned that orcas are really dolphins. I liked it when the dolphins swam all around us." Ryan Van Gilder
"I learned that throwing things away makes a difference in the ocean life. I look forward to going whale watching again." Emily Jackson
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| These are the kids and parents of Pinewood School. |
Nora Singer of Pinewood School has this to say about Sanctuary Cruises:
"Everyone loves coming. Both kids and parents want to go again. We spend a lot of time talking about conservation in my class.
All the kids understand that we are in the marine mammals' homes and animals are giving us a special treat by spending time with us.
"They listen very carefully to the captains, especially when they had the honor to drive the boat. It sparks wonderful conversation with siblings, family members that did not come and with teachers and students who did not attend.
"I think
it is a wonderful way to open 
the
school year... it is just a social joy to be learning
and having fun at the same time. I find it very rewarding
to see families together, especially so many fathers
participating. We see very few dads during the day
and it is wonderful that they can participate in such
a popular school event."
Sanctuary Cruises has several unique aspects to its trips. First, Captains Steph and Heidi are the owners; they give kids a great introduction to the demands of running a responsible whale watching and cruise company.
Steph is a leg amputee who has endured great pain and hardship, but he has survived and thrived--a tremendous lesson in life for kids.
Heidi is the only woman captain and owner of a cruise company on the central coast. She made her way through the maritime industry to carve out her own niche where she could put her thoughts about marine conservation and kids into action. Founder of Sea Dog School, where she has taught seamanship, navigation, conservation, power boat-handling and sea kayaking to middle and high school kids, she continues to provide the spark they need to connect our watery world to everyday actions. She also provides a tremendous life lesson to kids.
No one on the Monterey Bay has fought harder for the whales and against whaling. We don't just take the money and run on any cruise, especially kids' cruises. We give back in supporting conservation, research and getting kids on the water who couldn't afford to get out on their own.
A "cheap boat ride" isn't enough for kids. They are the hope of the future and in order to understand the sea, they need to be on it, educated about it as well as allowed to just hang, just be out there in the world of whales and dolphins, jellies and sea lions. All schools--public, charter and private--benefit from our conservation rates, which are substantially lower than our regular rates not only for the kids, but also their teachers and chaperones. Friends and family are encouraged to join the cruise at the special rate.
Schools have raved about the cleanliness of our great boats, our cheerful crew and the fact that their kids had a terrific, fun and informative experience.
For more information or to inquire about a school cruise, call Heidi at 530.778.3444 or drop her an email!
