All Hands on Deck!
Explore Narragansett Bay aboard one of Save The Bay’s education vessels: 46-foot M/V Elizabeth Morris, 45-foot M/VAlletta Morris or 27-foot M/V Swift. All of our education vessels are fully certified and inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and run on eco-friendly biodiesel fuel. Marine cruises can depart from Providence, Newport, North Kingstown, Westerly, South Kingstown, or Bristol.
All Save The Bay programs are designed to be a vehicle to aid teachers in helping their students achieve the Rhode Island Grade Span Expectations for science and the Next Generation for Science Standards. Contact us for Pricing.
Half-day Marine Science Cruise
Our education vessels were designed to present students with unique “face-to-fin” adventures. During this two-and-a-half hour cruise, students play the role of marine ecologist as they examine the Bay through a variety of hands-on activities: examining the microscopic world of plankton; trawling for creatures from the Bay floor; and testing water quality for salinity, dissolved oxygen, thermoclines, and turbidity.
Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 2.5 hours
Cost: $750.00 (up to 30 students)
Full-day Marine Science Cruise
In addition to the activities above, this full-day adventure includes an exploration of Prudence Island, part of the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Students walk pristine shorelines, collect and classify coastal creatures and explore undisturbed salt marshes in this unique opportunity.
Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 5 hours
Cost: $1,000.00 (up to 30 students)
Marine Science Cruise on M/V Swift
Stationed at the Save The Bay Center, Swift can accommodate 15 passengers for excursions on the upper Bay from the Seekonk River to Conimicut Point. Onboard Swift, students participate in basic navigation, plankton tows, checking a lobster trap and water quality testing. Swift programs are usually best when combined with a laboratory, coastal or classroom program at the Bay Center. There are several options available if you have more than 15 students.
Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 2.5 hours
Cost: $300 (up to 15 students)
Seasonal Seal Trips
Head out onto the Bay to see our winter visitors, the harbor seals. The two-hour program begins indoors at the Exploration Center where students learn about seal migration patterns, adaptations, food webs and laws to keep marine mammals safe. They then board one of our vessels and head for Citing Rock, one of the most popular seal haul-out sites in the Bay. The one-hour program includes just the shipboard portion. This program can be done during school hours or afterschool. This program is tides based and is available between November to April
Grades: 2-Adult
Length: 1-hour program (afterschool hours only)
Cost: $250.00
Length: 2.5-hour Program
Cost: $500.00 (up to 30 students)
Explore Your Estuary (EYE) Combination Programs
EYE is a custom-designed field studies program for students throughout southern New England. Teachers build their Bay curriculum from a range of activities for a unique shipboard-shoreline-classroom or coastal-lab experience. Coastal or shipboard programs can be combined with activities at either of our education centers: the Bay Center in Providence or the Exploration Center & Aquarium in Newport.
EYE is recommended for large groups of up to 60 students. Program length varies from two to four hours (and may include a 30-minute lunch break). Activities are designed to meet national science standards and Rhode Island Grade Span Expectations in a hands-on fashion and can be structured for students from kindergarten through high school. The three basic EYE programs are listed below.
Explore Your Estuary I
Based at the Save The Bay Center, this program allows teachers to choose up to three land-based or lab activities and combine them with a marine science cruise aboard M/V Swift. It can be tailored to meet your specific curriculum needs.
Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $500 (up to 30 students)
Explore Your Estuary II
Based at the Save The Bay Center, this program allows teachers to choose up to two land-based or lab activities and combine them with a marine science cruise aboard M/V Alletta Morris or Elizabeth Morris. It can be tailored to meet your specific curriculum needs.
Grades: 3-Adult
Length: 4 hours
Cost: $750 (up to 30 students)