The 2025 education and summer camp season for Pigeon Key has come to a close! It’s been another fantastic year on the island, filled with tidepooling, snorkeling, and learning all about Florida Keys marine life. Over the course of our busy education season, we had 19 groups visit us, including a few new schools! Students joined us from all over Florida, and others travelled from as far as Ohio. As the island slows down, it’s the perfect time to reflect on all the fun, learning, and memorable moments we shared.
Throughout the education season, Pigeon Key’s staff educated students through a variety of programs, all relating to marine life and ecosystems here in the Florida Keys. Some of this year’s favorites included Shark Biology, Marine Debris, and Invasive Species! When we weren’t in the classroom, we were in the water or doing hands-on activities. The students absolutely loved finding tons of invertebrates while tidepooling, pointing out all of the fish species at Sombrero Reef, and learning how to fish on the dock while watching a sunset!
Summer camp on Pigeon Key is always non-stop fun! From Fun Friday competitions to an underwater obstacle course, there’s never a dull moment. We hosted 7 weeks of camp this summer, with campers coming in from all over the US! Campers got to show off their snorkeling skills every day, and bonfire nights were a big hit with s’mores, talent shows, and stories under the stars. A camp favorite this year was the cannonball and belly-flop competitions off both the dock and the boat!
Our 2025 interns, Ari, Hailee, Lauren, Megan, and Thomas, also had so much fun during their time on the island. From educating students and campers in the classroom, to applying that knowledge snorkeling or tidepooling, they were always making exciting memories! Hailee’s favorite part of being an intern on Pigeon Key was leading the hands-on marine science activities for students and campers. From stingray dissections to nocturnal tidepooling and exploring Sombrero Reef, she really enjoyed jumping in and inspiring kids to care about protecting our marine environment. She also loved walking on the old 7-mile bridge and watching the sunset on the dock every day! Hailee is now in Fort Pierce, Florida, where she is working as a marine educator at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Lauren’s favorite memory from summer camp is all of the bonfire nights and talent shows we had. She also really loved reef days, particularly when we had some spotted eagle ray visitors. Lauren will be continuing on in marine science education as an instructor at Marine Lab in Key Largo! For Megan, it was nearly impossible to choose just one favorite memory. From stunning ocean views to the incredible students she had the opportunity to work with, every moment was unforgettable. She loved exploring the world’s third-largest reef, deepening both her knowledge and appreciation for marine ecosystems. Megan has discovered a true passion for marine science education and is now pursuing a career as an education specialist with organizations that share missions similar to Pigeon Key. Thomas had an absolute blast on Pigeon Key. He will never forget the amazing reef trips with the kids, and on the last trip, seeing 5 spotted eagle rays! He also has amazing memories of tidepooling, where he was able to find 12 octopus and 23 spotted sea hares just in one night! Thomas is currently working as a graduate research assistant at FAU Harbor Branch while he gets his Master’s degree in coral ecology. He plans to research the human impacts on coral reefs and the effective implementation of marine protected areas. Ari has loved every moment here on the island. Her favorite memories are helping the kids fish off the dock and watching them catch their first snappers and sharks! Ari will be staying with Pigeon Key Foundation as the island’s new Education Coordinator and is excited for the upcoming 2026 season.
The staff at Pigeon Key would like to thank everyone who helped us with yet another successful and rewarding education/summer camp season. With winter approaching, we look forward to having a busy island again with our 2026 intern class arriving in January. We can’t wait for next season, stay tuned!
