Programs Blog

Pre-College 3, Marine Biology

August 16, 2026

SEA campus at Woods Hole

We started off this Sunday morning with some well-needed sleeping in. We’d been looking forward to this day as we were headed to Chapoquoit Bay, where we were visiting a beautiful local beach to wind down in the sun after a week of working hard in the classroom. The B cottage students spent the morning relaxing in the commons, making crepes and helping each other with creating study guides on the week’s class content.

After everyone was up and ready to go, it was finally time to leave for the beach, and upon arriving we were pleasantly met with a majestic golden expanse littered with shells and smooth stones. Some of the students immediately jumped in for a swim in the refreshing seawater while others opted to get some rest on the sand first. Black-headed gulls hovered above our heads, suspended by invisible currents of air. After an earlier incident involving a large herring gull and a stolen lobster roll we were wary, but these birds were mild-mannered and squawked their greetings as we walked below them.

Before long, the sweet music of an ice cream truck wafted across the nearby sand dune, and we quickly flocked to the source. The truck had a wide selection of frozen snacks, and there was something for everyone, leaving the members of our party very satisfied. After a few hours of beach booling it was time to go, and we headed back to campus.

Back on SEA grounds, it was time to lock in. We’ve been creating a little project over the past week: filming our own complete rendition of Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. Among other scenes we filmed today, we worked on the velociraptor paddock scene, where Robert Muldoon (the game warden) introduces the film’s most terrifying antagonists. In the original scene, a cow is lowered into the paddock with heavy machinery to feed the raptors, but for lack of either of these we instead lowered a bag of goldfish crackers with a fishing rod. Not too bad for a zero-budget movie!

The fun didn’t stop when the sun went down. That evening we filmed the Tyrannosaurus Rex escape scene, where a car is attacked by the giant predator and chaos ensues. Then we were paid a visit by a curious fuzzy friend: Crunk the Skunk, the unofficial mascot of the SEA campus. Being nocturnal, Crunk can often be found shambling around the cottages looking for a snack when dusk falls (and the aftermath of knocked-over compost bins is usually found in the morning).

Today was a great day; what’s better than spending quality time with one another in the beautiful sun? We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Signing out,

Sam Lyons and Nat Watson

Action shot of Crunk the Skunk, our adorable fuzzy mascot.