SeaTreking into the BVIs

Ready to experience his third summer on tropical seas, SHS junior Matt Foley will travel to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to work as an intern with SeaTrek, a summer camp at sea where students from 12 to 22 years old learn how to sail, scuba dive, and explore marine biology. This will be Foley’s first time interning for SeaTrek BVI; however, during the past two summers, he experienced the camp as a student. Foley spent his first summer as a student in the British Virgin Islands and his second summer in the Bahamas.

With a strong interest in marine biology, Foley originally investigated SeaTrek summer camp after hearing about it from a friend. Foley thought this experience could help him decide if marine biology would be a good career choice. According to Foley, attending SeaTrek was “easily one of the best decisions” he has ever made.

Living on a boat in tropical waters, Foley said he will spend a typical summer day scuba diving, sailing, and cooking meals for students. In addition to daily activities, Foley said the summer camp teaches students a variety of skills: Foley knows how to monitor coral reefs to determine if they are healthy, and he can check a reef’s mortality rate. He is looking forward to teaching students how to tag sea turtles, usually Green Sea Turtles and Loggerhead Sea Turtles. “Catching sea turtles is one of my favorite activities to do,” explained Foley. Exploring the ocean and its ecosystem, Foley said he’s learned that it’s “really important to take care of the ocean.”

Foley enjoys seeing tropical marine life that isn’t typically found at home–especially sharks, turtles, and stingrays. Foley said diving down to see shipwrecks, living on a boat, and sleeping on a catamaran sailboat for weeks at a time are all memorable experiences that allowed him to make friends from all around the world–across the US, to London and Brazil.

According to Foley, SeaTrek “changes people’s mindset toward the ocean and what it is capable of,” and he has plenty of amazing pictures and videos that capture his experiences and all the ocean’s beauty. Foley plans to make a career out of marine biology and oceanography. He highly recommends this summer camp to anyone who is interested in the ocean, scuba diving, sailing, or marine science: “You won’t regret it,” he said.