Floating Classroom with Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

On Friday, October 10, 2025, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted 21 employees from Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours for a Floating Classroom on board DISCOVERY Vessel River Queen. Scenic offers river and ocean cruises and land-based tours all over the world with a commitment to sustainable tourism reinforced through their Cherish the Planet program. The group boarded D/V River Queen and departed the docks after a safety briefing from our captain, Ralph. While cruising South in the bay, SeaKeepers Community Engagement Manager introduced the group to the major coastal marine habitats in South Florida- mangrove islands, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The group showed what they knew about the ecosystem services these habitats provide for the water quality, our marine species, and their role in protecting coastlines. While observing the rapidly developing coastline around the bay, the conversation transitioned to discuss the impact of urbanization on Biscayne Bay, with construction and development introducing pollutants like oil and gas, trash, fertilizer and pesticides, and sediments into the water. To get an idea of the water quality in the bay and practice being scientists, we used Earth Echo International’s Water Challenge testing kits to test the temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen level, and turbidity. We were pleased to see these values were all in normal range, with a dissolved oxygen level of 6 ppm, indicating no major pollution events or algal blooms are impacting the water quality. Due to extremely high water levels as a result of King Tides, we were not able to do our usual coastal cleanup at Sandspur Island, but from the boat we were able to see the waste on the island and the trash cans submerged in water. While heading back to the marina, we discussed the sources and impacts of marine debris and how we can make sustainable choices to prevent trash from ever entering our waterways. While on our way back to the marina we were able to spot a dolphin and a small nurse shark, indicating the relative health of the bay. We are grateful to Scenic for joining us for an educational outing, and for their support of our mission!