Monthly after-school sessions
Classroom plus field. 90–120 minutes. One primary learning pillar, a skill station, and time applying it.
Programs
This isn’t another classroom program.
Monthly after-school education plus tournaments for middle and high school students. Marine biology, water safety, first aid, ethical angling, and life skills — taught by people who do this work.
Year 1 · Students
40–60
Middle and high school, ages 11–18
Year 1 · Education
8–10
Monthly classroom + field sessions
Year 1 · Events
6–8
Educational tournaments and special days
How a season is built
Saturday education sessions
The education component — marine science, water safety, first aid, ethics, and leadership on the water.
Sunday tournaments
Catch-and-release educational tournaments on select months. Conservation scoring, skill checkpoints, family invited.
Curriculum
Five learning pillars
Know this water
Marine biology & local ecosystems
Fish identification, mangrove and seagrass habitats, food webs, and human impact — specific to the Loxahatchee River and Jupiter Inlet, not a generic textbook coast.
Before the first cast
Water safety & boating fundamentals
Coast Guard-approved PFDs, weather, knots, rip currents, and how to behave on a dock or a vessel. On-water days run only with a licensed captain.
Firefighter-paramedics
First aid & emergency response
Age-appropriate first aid, bleeding control, heat illness, marine stings, and CPR awareness. Taught and supervised by certified paramedics and firefighters.
Catch and release
Ethical angling & conservation
Catch-and-release handling, FWC size and bag limits, Leave No Trace, marine debris, and the teen’s job as a steward of this estuary.
Off the phone, on a team
Life skills & youth development
Goal-setting, patience, teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, and a look at careers in marine science, conservation, and emergency services.
How a session runs
Ninety to 120 minutes. Every day blends knowledge, a skill you can take home, and time applying it.
1
Arrival & safety brief
Headcount, PFD check if needed, weather, and the rules of the day. Never skipped.
2
Core instruction
A short talk plus specimens or visuals, focused on one pillar.
3
Hands-on skill station
Knots, casting, fish handling, a first-aid scenario, or a water-quality test.
4
Field application
Shore fishing, habitat walk, observation, or tournament skills practice.
5
Debrief & close
What we learned, a safety reminder, next session, final headcount.
Safety is not a poster.
Ratios we do not break
Indoor 1:10. Shore-based field 1:6. On the water: one licensed captain plus one additional adult per vessel.
Adults are screened
Every adult with direct student contact completes Level 2 (or equivalent) background screening before they work with teens.
Medical coverage on site
At least one CPR- and first-aid-certified adult at every session. The program director is a licensed paramedic-firefighter.
On-water, a captain is in charge
Coast Guard-approved PFDs, worn correctly. Licensed captains have final say on the vessel. No free swimming in the standard program.
Gear should never be the reason someone stays home.
Year 1 aims to keep participant fees at zero through grants, gifts, and in-kind tackle. If you have working rods, PFDs, or boat time, that goes straight to a student.