Research Vessel Experience

Students board Mobile Bay DISL’s R/V Alabama Discovery, and explore Mobile Bay firsthand. Students learn how scientists study estuaries by exploring the types of equipment used by scientists (trawls, nets, water quality sensors, bottom grab), and discuss Alabama’s watersheds, the species that inhabit estuaries, and how humans affect these critical coastal habitats through their actions.

Students should be prepared to get wet and fishy.

Middle and high school students (grades 7-12) can take the 4-hour trip or split larger groups into two 2-hour trips.

Fifth and sixth-grade students may take the 2-hour trip.

The maximum capacity for a vessel trip is 37. With a full class group of 35 students, only two teachers or chaperones can also attend.

If you have an unusually large number of parents who wish to participate in the vessel trip, we suggest scheduling two trips to accommodate all members of your group.

Keywords to review: Estuary, Salinity, Plankton, Watershed

To book your field trip:

Contact the Scheduling Coordinator Jennifer Latour by scheduler@disl.edu or by phone 251-861-2141 ext. 7511.