Become a Marine Biologist for the Day

Become a Marine Biologist for the Day

This Spring Break, take your family out on the water for an inspiring, educational boat tour  

As a kid, who didn’t want to be a marine biologist? You got to explore vast oceans and waterways and study diverse and unique wildlife. Work with majestic bottlenose dolphins and ancient loggerhead sea turtles! Plus, marine biologists save and conserve nature and our beautiful marine ecosystems. It’s these reasons and more that our founder, Jessica Jadick, was inspired to become one. With Spring Break around the corner, you and your family can live the dream for the day on Florida Water Tours’ Marine Field Experience.

So much more than a sightseeing cruise, this hands-on educational excursion will spark passion in protecting our wildlife and teaching you something new. On the Marine Field Experience cruise, we test the quality of water from the St. Augustine waterways (the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and Tolomato/Matanzas river), collect data on the samples, and look at plankton through a microscope. We scout wildlife and log sightings — like dolphins, birds, manatees and turtles — and discuss the local ecosystem and ways to protect it. This 90-minute cruise is great for kids and families of all ages. Plus, it is a part of Florida Water Warriors, raising funds to support our educational nonprofit, where every cent of Marine Field Experience ticket sales goes directly to providing educational cruises to underserved students. 

“As a child I wanted to be a dolphin trainer,” shares Jessica, founder of Florida Water Tours and Executive Director of Florida Water Warriors. “As I became more knowledgeable about wildlife, I knew I was meant to help keep wildlife wild and preserve nature.” She started these organizations to share her passion with others and create opportunities for people to learn more about protecting our planet. Florida Water Tours offers ecotourism cruises that include family-friendly adventures and adults-only excursions, and a portion of every ticket goes into our non-profit, Florida Water Warriors. Jessica and her husband, Master Captain Michael Jadick, along with our amazing team, Master Captain Kevin Jadick and Educator Kristie Corrigan, are enthusiastic about educating our local youth about marine wildlife. Our K-12 Marine Science educational program provides knowledge and experiential learning for underserved students and community members within northeast coastal Florida. We aim to play a part in the larger picture of conservation by fostering an appreciation of our surrounding natural beauty and emphasizing our responsibility to its protection. “We’re all about hands-on learning,” Jessica shares. “We here at Florida Water Warriors hope to help raise a generation of citizens that protect our valuable planet.” 

School groups, youth groups and educational or camp organizations are most welcome and can book their own Private Educational Cruise by clicking here. This personalized experience is geared for students ages K-12 (ages 5+). Our shop and boat dock (and boutique) is located at Windward at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor marina, 107 Yacht Club Dr., St. Augustine, FL 32084. We offer free parking and restrooms on board. Check in for your cruise at the shop, The Salty Boutique, where you can find beach and fishing accessories, local and handmade goods and more. Our vessels are just a short walk from the shop, located at Dock A-23 and A-24, next to Kingfish Grill. Take a break from the beach, come enjoy the water and make a real difference in your community!

To learn more about our non-profit or to make a donation, please visit www.FloridaWaterWarriors.org. The Marine Field Experience acts as our main fundraiser, so donations are especially appreciated. Only $10 sponsors a student and gives them an education they’ll enjoy for a lifetime.