Florida Sea Base

Out Island Adventure

The Florida Sea Base is anxious for your arrival and participation in the Out Island Program. To aid in your preparation for your trip, we would like to go over the programmatic and physical aspects for the week you will spend with us.

You will arrive after 2:00pm, on your scheduled day of arrival, at the Brinton Environmental Center, located 23.8 miles North of Key West. Your first afternoon is quite busy. Initially, your Island Mate will show you to your air-conditioned quarters, followed by a tour of the facility. Next up, it's into bathing suits and into the marina for your swim review. At this point, you will be issued a mask, fins, snorkel and a Sea Base dive bag that you will have for the week of your adventure. This will be followed by a snorkel instruction lesson so you are comfortable with your gear. If you have your own snorkeling equipment, you may prefer to bring it because masks and mouthpieces sometimes give you a better fit if they are your personal equipment. After dinner you will talk about your itinerary for the upcoming week and watch a slide show, which describes those underwater creatures to both enjoy and avoid, as well as snapshots of some of the fun you will be having during the upcoming week.

On your second day at Sea Base, you will kayak to Big Munson Island with all of your personal gear. Your personal gear will be stowed in a dry bag, which is checked out to you before you depart for the island, so pack light. The trip is 5.5 miles over open water, so come prepared for some great paddling! Big Munson Island is made up of high hardwood hammocks and low mangrove swamp areas. If you are expecting a South Sea Island with sparkling white sandy beaches and native girls, this is definitely not the place. You will have to wade ashore all of your food water and equipment. Depending on the wind and tide, this wading trip can be as short as 50 yards or as long as 300 yards...sometimes through floating sea grass. Once you arrive on this pristine island, it will all be worth it. You will be housed in four man backpacking tents on Big Munson Island. The tents are directly on the ground, so a sleeping pad comes in handy.

Your next several days will include days of fishing, snorkeling and kayaking. Be prepared to purchase a fishing license if you are 16 years old or older. The Out Island Adventure does not visit Key West as part of its itinerary. If your crew wants to visit Key West, make plans to visit it either before or after your adventure.

On your sixth day, you will repack your equipment and kayak back to the Brinton Center for your evening closing ceremony, patch presentation, and seafood luau. We ask that everyone depart the Sea Base facility on the following day by 11:00am so that we may adequately prepare for the next round of arrivals.

Once again, we are looking forward to offering you an aquatic experience of a lifetime in a unique area of North America called the Florida Keys.

SHIP'S STORE

Most of the items on the following "What to Bring List" are carried in our Ship's Store with the exception of shoes, socks, sleeping gear, and pads. Theoretically, the Florida Sea Base supplies everything that you would need for the adventure with the exception of a fishing license. $100 is adequate spending money unless you want to buy a lot of souvenirs.

BEING PHYSICALLY FIT

Every participant in the Florida Sea Base High Adventure program needs to be physically fit for the strenuous demands that will be placed on their body. The Out Island Program is PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING. Get in shape! Stay in shape! You will be in the water a great deal, so go swimming with your crew at your local pool often. Do some light exercises to increase your stamina. You will be frequently lifting your body in and out of the water to boats and docks. You have dedicated a lot of your personal time and resources to come to Sea Base. Get the most out of your experience by being ready - physically and mentally.

All High Adventure Participants may not exceed the weight to height guidelines, which are listed in the Sea Base Class 3 Medical. Participants who exceed their maximum weight to height ratio or exceed 300 pounds will not be allowed to participate in Sea Base High Adventure programs.

WHAT TO BRING

NOTE: Make sure you can successfully pass the BSA Swim Test.

NOTE: Make sure your name is on the crew roster your leader is going to send us.

NOTE: Don't forget to bring a photocopy of front and back of insurance card.

PARENTS

Do not send mail. Sea Base offers programs to hundreds of Scouts on the sea, on the land, and on an island. We cannot deliver mail from home to Scouts unless it is mail of urgency, i.e. glasses, medicine, etc. left at home. In case of an extreme emergency, contact can be made with the following numbers: 305-664-4173 Days or 305-664-7766 Nights.