Explorando el Mundo Marino 2026 with Osa Conservation

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, The International SeaKeepers Society partnered with Osa Conservation for Explorando El Mundo Marino 2026, an educational workshop series for students from Montaña al Mar Club taking place in and around Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica. Osa Conservation is a non-profit organization founded with the mission of protecting and restoring the biodiversity of Southern Costa Rica by working with the local community, government officials, and global leaders. During Explorando el Mundo Marino 2026, SeaKeepers joined several other organizations such as Misión Tiburon, Raising Coral Costa Rica, and Save the Blue Five to lead a field trip and a workshop for Osa Conservation’s environmental education program, Montaña al Mar.

Through our partnership with Marina Bahía Golfito in Golfito, Costa Rica, SeaKeepers was able to provide vessel support for the 13 students and 4 staff to leave Puerto Jimenez and head out into Golfo Dulce. Once onboard, we headed from the dock to Piedras Blancas, where students put on masks, snorkels, and fins, and hopped in the water to explore the coral reef. Osa Conservation’s Marine Program Director, Gabriela Vinueza, organized activities for the students to assess the biodiversity and health of the ecosystem. The students were split into three groups who took turns taking notes of the species biodiversity along a transect with help from a species ID guide, and assessing coral condition by performing a quadrat survey. The group got the chance to see many species of reef fish, and some cool creatures such as a juvenile spotted eagle ray, a spotted moray eel, and a whitetip reef shark. We were pleased to see that most of the reef-building coral was in good shape, with little to no signs of bleaching or disease.

Once back on board the vessels, the group headed out into the middle of Golfo Dulce to look for some marine mammals. We quickly found a group of bottlenose dolphins, including a mother and calf pair known as Star and Twinkle by the researchers at Raising Coral Costa Rica. After watching the small school of bottlenose dolphins for a while, we continued further out into Golfo Dulce until we ran into a larger school of pantropical spotted dolphins, including another mother and calf pair. While watching these amazing animals, the students used a chart to observe and record the mammal behavior, such as spyhopping, breaching, feeding, and floating.

After an incredible morning on the water exploring Golfo Dulce, the group returned to the Osa Conservation office in Puerto Jimenez, where SeaKeepers Community Engagement Manager, Lillian, led a workshop in the laboratory. After debriefing the types of habitats and animals seen in the morning, the students discussed potential sources of marine pollution, such as fertilizers, oil and gas, and marine debris, and the impacts of these pollutants on the water quality. Using water samples taken from Golfo Dulce, the students were able to investigate the overall health of the water using Earth Echo Water Challenge Kits. Using these kits, the students tested the pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity of the water, and recalled the temperature taken on board to draw conclusions about how good the water quality is. We found that the water had a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius (89 F), a dissolved oxygen level of 6, a pH of 7, and a turbidity of 0. The students were able to practice their data collection and analysis skills and determined that no major pollutant events were impacting the health of the water within Golfo Dulce, as all values were within standard range.

SeaKeepers is so grateful to Osa Conservation for their invitation to collaborate and lead a workshop during Explorando El Mundo Marino 2026, and for their hospitality during our visit. We are also very grateful to Marina Bahía Golfito for their partnership and assistance in providing vessel support for the field trip with Montaña al Mar Club. SeaKeepers is proud to support the expansion of marine science education and looks forward to collaborating with this initiative again in the future!