Summer Camp 2019 registration is now open!
Our Programs
"I guess it all started during my 7th grade summer camp for Marine Biology, It really opened my eyes on how we can live in our environment and be more sustainable in everyday lives. Ever since then I loved any opportunity where sustainability and marine biology interact. And now I can educate students and spark another person's passion, it doesn’t have to be a big life decision like me either, it could be a small step." -- Vanessa Orozco, Girls Love Science alumna and Oakes College Student Sustainability Advisor, UCSC
Summer Camps
- Week-long day, overnight, and sailing adventures
- Day camps (ages 8–13) based at Del Monte Beach in Monterey, CA
- Overnight camps (ages 10–16) based at CSUMB dorms
- Sailing adventures (ages 13–17) leave from either Sausalito or Monterey for five-day cruises
- Watersports (snorkeling, surfing, kayaking) enriched with marine science activities and field trips
- Early June to mid-August
Outdoor School
- Three-day, two-night residential program at our sites in Aptos/Seascape, CA
- Day programs at Asilomar Beach or Elkhorn Slough
- Grades 4–8
- NGSS activities such as sand crab monitoring, plankton labs, and squid dissections
- Additional activities may include kayaking, coastal exploration, and campfires on the beach
- Fall (September–November) and Spring Seasons (February–May)
"Surfing was a big hit too as my daughter was able, with the patient instruction of the counselors, to stand up by the end of the day. With a smaller camp size, my daughter made some great friends who are all trying to reunite at Camp SEA Lab next year!"
Our History
In 1997, a group of local teachers, scientists and resource managers from marine science and education organizations around Monterey Bay came together to fill a perceived need for marine science education in our schools. They developed a plan for a residential marine science program to capitalize on the unique natural and institutional resources of our region.
This vision was supported by broad-based local advocacy and seed funding from the Packard Foundation, California Sea Grant and the California Coastal Commission. With this community-driven vision, dedicated partnerships and unique collaborations, Camp SEA Lab was born and offered its first one-week pilot camp in the summer of 2000.
Today, Camp SEA Lab operates under the auspices of California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) as a part of the School of Natural Sciences, and has close partnerships with local science institutions. Camp SEA Lab is additionally supported by the Friends of Camp SEA Lab, a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization comprised of a Board from the local community and collaborating institutions. From the first program of 35 campers, we have grown to annually serving 3000 youth locally through both outdoor school and summer camp programs.
Program Affiliates
- California State University, Monterey Bay
- Kayak Connection
- Sea Harvest
- Elkhorn Slough Foundation
- Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
- Moss Landing Marine Labs
- Monterey Bay Kayaks
- Hopkins Marine Station
- Seymour Discovery Center
- Call of the SEA
- CHISPA
- O'Neill Sea Odyssey
- The Marine Mammal Center
- Mother Nature's Temple
- Wishbone Foundation
- Monterey County Office of Education
- California State Parks
- S.L.E.W.T.H.S.
- NOAA
- Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary