RAPTURE TO RETURN TO HAWAII TO CONDUCT SIX MONTHS OF MARINE EDUCATION PROGRAMS STARTING IN NOVEMBER

When the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands expedition wraps up at month's end, the research and education vessel Rapture will head back to the main Hawaiian islands to conduct six months of intensive marine education programs off Oahu, Lanai, Maui and the Big Island. Their programs will serve mostly high school students, however they work with student ranging from intermediate through college-aged.

Rapture is owned and operated by Certified Marine Expeditions (CME), a nearly 15 year old company that has been conducting marine education for 5,000 students a year off the coast of California and Mexico. Two years ago they expanded their program to Hawaii.

According to Scott McClung, the company's goal is to provide an opportunity for every student that comes aboard to be inspired by the sights, sounds and experiences of the ocean and its inhabitants. In Hawaii, this means taking students out on the ocean on multi-day, multi-location trips around the state.

"We feel really blessed to be working in Hawaii," said Scott McClung, CME founder and owner. "Hawaii has a very special and fragile marine environment that provides a wonderful learning laboratory for kids to learn about the ocean and develop greater respect for the world around them.

"Through our programs we seek to support the efforts of teachers and schools around the state who are trying to engage kids in marine science and provide opportunities and a venue for this kind of education to take place," McClung continuted. "We've noticed that in Hawaii, there aren't many experiential venues for students to learn about the marine environment and that kids know very little about the ocean. That's surprising, given that Hawaii is a state surrounded by ocean. We hope that through our programs, we can help change that."

To do this, McClung built a custom, 145-foot vessel, designed specifically to serve as a learning platform for state-of-the art field expeditions. The 145-foot ship is specifically to provide safe and exciting field trips for schools which typically range from 3 to 5 days. The vessel can accommodate up to 150 students at a time.

The multi-faceted education program consists of: marine life observation, interactive video feeds, on-board touch labs; advanced sampling techniques; intertidal exploration and in-water exploration of the nearshore environment. According to the crew, the most exciting component of the program is the video feed sessions where divers send live video back to the ship at night and talk with kids using single side band radios while they are photographing the ocean below.

For McClung, building the Rapture and teaching kids about the ocean is the fulfillment of a childhood dream. "The company and our programs resulted from a desire I've had since the 7th grade. I grew up on the ocean and spent my life surfing, diving, and spearfishing. I've always wanted to be a captain and take kids out to experience the things I was fortunate enough to experience myself as a kid.

"It's incredibly rewarding and exciting work to safely immerse kids in the marine environment and see them grow through the experience. The ocean is a great equalizer, no matter who they are, how popular they are, how successful they are in school, when they get in or on the ocean, they all start at the same place."

For Noah Bailey, Rapture chief mate, the vessel is perfectly named. "Rapture means to snatch up or take away. It's a great name because that's what happens when kids come on board. They get taken away to a place where they experience things they've never experienced before and challenge themselves to grow without even realizing it."

Rapture will arrive back in Honolulu at the end of October and begin its education programs on Oahu starting in November. On Oahu Rapture departs from Pier 8 and travels to Lanai, Molokai and Maui. In February, Rapture will move it operation to Kona and take students on expeditions up and down the West Hawaii coastline through March.

Rapture's education program has been accredited by Cal Lutheran University and Dr. Andrea Hubard. Their program has also attracted some of Hawaii's top private and independent schools to participate since CME began operating in Hawaii.

A few slots are still available in November and December for schools interested in participating in the marine education programs. There is also a possibility of extending the season past March.

Return To News Release Archive