Marine Mammal Studies Expedition

My experience at Broadreach has been life changing. One of my favorite parts of the program is that we were constantly exploring outdoors. I had the opportunity to immerse myself in so many unique environments through different perspectives. While snorkeling I saw an array of vibrant sea stars slowly inching down into the low tide. On kayaking trips we got to paddle over kelp beds, do open water crossings, and watch pods of orcas porpoising by us. While we were camping off the grid I watched beautiful sunsets with the group. While whale watching, we saw bait balls, Steller Sea Lions, bald eagles, river otters and sea otters. At one of the field stations I went swimming in bioluminescence at midnight and while floating on my back looked up at the stars. This trip was life changing because I want to do it again, and because it inspired an overwhelming and profound appreciation for nature within the whole group that I hadn’t been exposed to before.
Having a small group of students on the expedition allowed for an amazing community to develop. We all had a lot of fun together doing group activities and cooking meals, and were also there to support each other if someone was feeling homesick, or when exams were coming up. The instructors were also a huge factor in everyone being so supported. Our group learned a lot about marine mammals and conservation through field work, lessons, projects, and interacting with researchers at different field stations. Overall, the expedition maintained a great balance between having fun and learning about marine ecosystems.