Our first overnight trip of the season started bright and early at 7:30AM this past Saturday, as interns were gearing up for our trip to Monterey. With an exciting day ahead filled with various sea creatures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we were all eager to get on the road. After an even earlier morning for coordinators loading up the van with lots of camping gear, every interns arrived bright-eyed and piled into our two vans. After a quick 2-hour drive (with a few bathroom breaks and karaoke sprinkled in the midst…), we arrived at Cannery Row, the home of the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. Some emergency PB&Js were necessary to prepare for the day ahead, and off we go!
Upon getting into the aquarium, we started at arguably the most popular exhibit: the sea otters! Interns were lucky to see FIVE otters on exhibit, including two new otters Willow and Suri! Willow and Suri had initially been stranded as pups in 2022, then they both went on an adventure to Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, preparing to hopefully fill an important role in being surrogate moms to orphaned otter pups back at the Monterey Bay Aquarium! All five otters were very playful, with the exception of Ivy, the oldest otter on exhibit, who enjoyed her floating nap while the youngsters played in the background. Interns Sadie and Coordinator Isa were the most excited to see the otters, as they had mentioned during their introductions that otters were both of their favorite animals!
After seeing the sea otters, Coordinator Jamie, who used to work at the aquarium, had arranged a special trip behind the scenes to see the jellyfish! The amazing naturalists that we met took us to see the backside of the jellies exhibit, and showed us the different species, and different enclosure types that they have for them. They even let the interns touch the moon jellies!
After the jellies, we had time to explore the different exhibits, like the Kelp Forest, Monterey Bay Habitats, Into the Deep, and the Open Sea! Interns loved seeing the front of the jellies, after getting a special behind the scenes look.
After some exploration, we all took a break to eat lunch outdoors. While there was a bit of wind (only a few cookies were lost…), interns scarfed down their sandwiches and were ready for their second behind-the-scenes tour of the day!
Coordinator Isa had also previously worked at the aquarium, with the sea otter rescue and rehabilitation program, and was able to show the interns their old office. We headed up in two groups to the roof, getting a new perspective on the sea otter program at the aquarium. Interns learned how all of the sea otters on exhibit had once been rescued from the wild, and brought to the rescue and rehab center. They spoke to Kattie, a seasoned rehabilitation specialist, who told them all about how otters that are orphaned as a pup can be brought here, where the staff and volunteers will provide maternal care for the otters. Once the otter is old enough, they will ideally be introduced to a surrogate, who will teach the otter pup all of the necessary skills for being an otter in the wild! Interns got to watch live videos of an otter pup in their care, seeing how they are groomed and fed. Then, after surrogacy, they can join groups of other rehab candidates, and staff prepare them to be released by mimicking their natural environment in the best way possible. This was such a unique experience, and interns were very grateful to learn about the work being done behind the scenes at the aquarium!
After a few more hours of exploring, interns were ready to head on over to our campsite for the night. Upon our arrival, the wind had really started to pick up, but that was no challenge we couldn’t handle. Outdoor Trip Leader Jenna began cooking our delicious taco bowls, as interns geared up to face the wind while putting up their tents. With only a little bit of help from Coordinator Isa (and no help from the wind), interns had their tents up in no time, gaining lots of knowledge on necessary camping skills. The timing was perfect, and once the tents were secured, everyone chowed down on the delicious taco bowls, even going back for seconds, thirds, and even fourths!
The wind was still pervasive, but that didn’t stop interns from enjoying the park (especially Zodi, Jenna’s service dog). The rest of the interns sheltered from the wind in their tents, playing card games while chatting and getting to know each other better. To wrap up the night, we had a lovely DIY smores over the propane stove, getting into a heated debate over if the proper grammar is “a smore” or “a smores”. Unfortunately, no conclusion was reached. Thankfully, right around bedtime the wind died down and everyone was able to get ready for bed and head into their warm sleeping bags.
Everyone slept well, tired from their long day, and interns even woke up early to watch the sunrise. We then enjoyed bagels for breakfast, packed up our camping gear, and got ready for our tidepooling adventure. Coordinator Jamie had two of her best tidepooling experts meet us at the beach, and interns immediately began exploring. Leader Jenna led an adventurous group of interns out on the rocks, while Coordinator Jamie encouraged students to look at the vast amounts of rocks and shells on the beach, and Coordinator Isa joined interns in checking all the rock cracks for crabs and isopods.
This was the perfect end to our trip, where interns were able to use their knowledge from the aquarium in real life, and spend some final quality time as a group. After a quick sandwich lunch and a stop to see the harbor seals, we packed up and headed back to our meeting spot.
This trip was an incredible experience for these interns; they got to learn about the ocean, meet new friends, and experience the great outdoors. Thank you to our partners at California Coastal Commission and the Whale Tail grant, Outdoor Trip Leader Jenna (and Zodi), and everyone at Monterey Bay Aquarium for making this trip possible!
