Scout troop visits Sea Base

BY MATT SALERNO, LIFE SCOUT, SPARTA TROOP 95
Six scouts and two leaders from Sparta's Troop 95 recently attended the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base located on Summerland Key in Islamorada, Florida. Commonly known as Sea Base, it is a high adventure program base run by the Boy Scouts of America which offers various group adventures in the Florida Keys.
Troop 95 chose the week-long Florida Keys Adventure program, which consisted of a new activity each day. Other Sea Base programs are centered around one activity; for example, sailing or scuba diving. The first day consisted of paddleboarding in the morning and driving down to Key West in the afternoon. The water was clear to the bottom, allowing us to see the coral and plant life that dotted the seabed. We visited Mallory Square in the afternoon and attended a tour of the Key West Shipwreck Museum. After that, we visited Mile Marker Zero and the southernmost point in the contiguous United States.
Day two was snorkeling, our most anticipated day. We set out eight miles off the coast of Key West to a popular diving reef. It was an entirely different world underwater; we observed fish of countless species dotting the landscape and vibrantly contrasting against the undersea vegetation swaying in the current. When we got back to base, we received dry bags and began packing to spend the following night on Big Munson Island, a private uninhabited island owned by the Boy Scouts of America.
On the third day of our trip we went deep sea fishing. Eight miles out we caught three yellowtail snapper which we kept for eating, and ten miles out we caught two small tuna before heading towards the coast to the island. We waded a quarter mile to shore from where the boat dropped us off and stayed the night on the island. The next day we were brought back to base after we had packed up and completed a service project to preserve the island.
On day five we sailed a decent-sized sailboat, about thirty-five by twelve feet, from the Summerland Key to Key West and back. The water was calmer than it was on our deep sea fishing day, so the crew members that were prone to seasickness had a much easier time today. Finally, with our adventure concluding, we returned to base for the last time to pack for the flight home.
On the sixth and final day, we left Sea Base early in the morning after saying our goodbyes. We then drove three hours to the mainland where we stopped in Sawgrass Recreation Park for an airboat tour of the Everglades. There we encountered a ten-foot alligator floating mere feet from the boat. After our tour we were on our way to the airport for our flight back to Newark, thus concluding our thrilling week at the Florida High Adventure Sea Base.