April 25, 2008 — More and more youngsters are getting exposed to the beauty under the sea thanks to the St. Croix International Year of the Reef Committee, which will offer a free snorkel clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday at Southgate Coastal Reserve.
Participants may also take part in a beach cleanup, a scavenger hunt and a trash-sculpture contest. Southgate Beach is located on the St. Croix Environmental Association's (SEA) Southgate Coastal Reserve next to Chenay Bay.
The event is family friendly, said organizer Karlyn Langjahr. Snorkel gear will be provided and there will be snacks and prizes.
This is the committee's third free snorkel clinic, she said. The first was held Feb. 9 at Dorsch Beach in conjunction with a SCUBA pier cleanup in Frederiksted called "Dive Into International Year of the Reef." The second was held March 29 at Cramer Park.
Attendance has grown for each event, Langjahr said, and she hopes to see more than 50 people at Sunday's event. The first event only had six snorkelers (but 17 divers), with 55 participants coming out for the March Kid's Activity Day.
The committee also has other activities planned, such as a free family IYOR movie night May 9 and the Reef Jam May 25.
"We hope to attract students with positive and engaging forms of coming to the sea, such as the scavenger hunt and trash sculpture," Langjahr said. "Also, offering games and prizes tends to draw more student interest. Really we are trying to form exciting connections to the sea and create an environment which fosters creativity and recreation. Our beaches are healthy places for students to learn and interact with their waters, whether they are swimmers or not. Sometimes this is the closest way for kids to get to the ocean."
Anyone with questions should send an email or call 692-4144.
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