Students Dive the Keys, Experience the Beauty and Learn about Ocean Policy

Some middle school and high school students from the Tampa Bay area recently returned from a scientific research and dive training expedition to the Florida Keys that they’re not likely to soon forget. The students are members of the Teen Research Underwater Explorers (TRUE) dive team – a non-profit volunteer organization based in St. Petersburg. TRUE promotes marine science, active stewardship and conservation of our oceans and coasts to students through hands-on experiences, building citizenship and leadership capabilities for future generations.

Upon arriving in the Keys the student divers learned about underwater navigation methods and search and rescue techniques from instructors at the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations Combat School, where they bunked during their stay. They also received training in reef fish identification from the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) staff in Key Largo and learned about the BleachWatch program and methods used by staff at Mote Marine Lab on Summerland Key to monitor coral reef bleaching. Students also compiled data for the BleachWatch programs at Looe Key Sanctuary and 9 Foot Stake in Key West, as well as for the Great Annual Fish Count.

In June, the TRUE dive team visited Washington D.C. for Capitol Hill Ocean Week where the students were recognized at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s 10th Annual Leadership Awards Dinner for their outreach efforts and volunteerism in marine education and conservation. The group was privileged to also meet the world-renowned Cousteau family -- there to celebrate the anniversary of Jacques Cousteau’s 100th birthday. While in Washington, students met with Senator Bill Nelson and Representative C.W. Bill Young of Florida and Representative Gene Taylor of Mississippi to gain insight to the inter-workings of the U.S. Government, specifically as it relates to Ocean Policy.

In August, working on a grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, TRUE explorers will venture on a research trip to Key Largo where they will perform night dives to document the spawning of the threatened Elkhorn and Staghorn coral species.

TRUE’s science leadership includes volunteers from various agencies including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the University of South Florida College of Marine Science and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. For more information on TRUE, visit www.TRUEdiveteam.org.