The Florida Keys Winter Experience

Andie Kiener '25

On the first day of 2024, while most students were still sleeping in, a group of thirty nine Nardin girls were up bright and early at the Buffalo airport, eager to set off to Florida. After a long day of traveling, rushing around airports, and baggage claim, the group ended up in Key Largo, Florida safe and sound. 

For our first morning in Florida, we went for a practice snorkel run at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. While many preferred sunbathing, I loved snorkeling! I saw a handful of fish and even upside down jellyfish. After lunch, we headed to the main event of the day–swimming with dolphins at Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder! We learned all about dolphin anatomy, behavior, training methods, and history behind the dolphins in their care. In small groups, we were able to swim with the dolphins–we pet them, waved to them, and even rode them! That night, we had a Dolphins Plus evening program, where we had two stations–one was a squid dissection, and the other was a touch tank. We even had the unique opportunity to kiss a sea cucumber named Hermione! Overall, it was a great first day for us.

The second morning, we split into three groups and went two-person kayaking. We learned how to cooperate together, how to maneuver through mangrove tunnels–natural tunnels of mangrove trees we needed to kayak through–and we even saw fish and jellyfish because of how clear the water was. In the afternoon, we all hopped on a boat to go snorkeling in the ocean, in a protected coral reef. It was absolutely magical seeing all the coral, and the multitudes of fish that lived there. 

The third morning, we went to a Turtle Hospital, and learned all about the threats facing sea turtles and how humans help them, and how to prevent some of these accidents in the first place–for example, did you know turtles getting hit with boat motors causes Positive Buoyancy Syndrome? Also known as “Bubble Butt Syndrome,” Buoyancy Syndrome is a phenomenon where the turtle’s shell bubbles up and causes them to float. Chemicals dumped into the ocean can also cause tumors to grow on turtles, both internally and externally. If humans were more careful, less turtles would be harmed! After the Turtle Hospital, we went to Robbie’s Marina to feed tarpons–large fish that rose out of the water to take fish from our hands! We also explored the area and bought souvenirs, along with ice cream and snow cones! After that, we went to the Everglades National Park to see alligators in their natural habitat. We spotted two alligators, as well as three baby gators, which was a first for all of us, even our guides! 

Our last full day in Florida, we headed out to the Everglades again, but this time, during the day. We went on a tram ride and saw both alligators and crocodiles in the same habitat! We also saw the rare purple gallinule, a multicolored bird considered the “Heart of the Everglades.” Afterwards, we went to the Dolphin Mall in Miami for lunch and shopping. The stores were huge compared to our malls here!

The next day, we were on our way home. After a handful of security troubles, we all managed to make it back to New York safely! Overall, it was a fun trip and I recommend anyone to go on a travel Winter Experience before it’s too late.

Adeline Williams '26

In the beginning of 2024, I had the privilege of going on Nardin Academy’s Florida Keys Winter Experience. On day one of our five day trip, we flew into Tampa and drove down to the Keys on the Overseas Highway. The view of the ocean was amazing! That evening we got to Key Largo fairly late, so we ate dinner and went to bed. 

The next morning, we went off to a snorkel lesson at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Our tour guide, Meghan, wanted us to feel comfortable with the equipment before we snorkeled in the coral reefs. Many people were discouraged at the beach that day as the water was muddy, and therefore it was difficult to see anything, including a jellyfish that was lurking in the water and a shipwreck. This did not stop us from enjoying the sunshine at the beach though! 

We then took a hike on one of the state park trails to a historic citrus grove with lime trees (for their famous key lime pie!). That afternoon, we went to the activity that was many students’ favorite part of the trip: swimming with dolphins! We tried different commands that would even result in actions such as the dolphins pushing you through the water by nudging your feet! Putting away the wetsuits, we then went inside to learn the psychology behind dolphin training. After dinner that night, we went to a sea creature touch tank and dissected squids. We were even able to eat the squid eyeballs which, to my surprise, thankfully did not have much flavor! 

Back at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Wednesday morning, we kayaked through the mangroves. It was so much fun trying to navigate through the narrow waters we kayaked through! Then we headed out on a boat ride to the ocean and went snorkeling through coral reefs. This was my personal favorite part of the trip as I was not expecting the water to be so clear and to be able to see so much below me after my experience the day prior. We saw colorful corals, fish, and even a chest of some sort! 

We began our Thursday morning at a sea turtle hospital where we learned about different types of sea turtles and ways they treat the sick turtles. After plenty of “oohs” and “awes,” we headed over to Sombrero Beach for a beach netting lab. During this, we scooped up sand in the ocean, analyzing what we saw: crabs and lots of other fascinating organisms! We then stopped at Robbie’s Marina, where we fed tarpons. When it was my turn to try, I was struggling to hold my fish up as several hungry pelicans were also interested in the fish! This was definitely the scariest experience of the trip for me, but also so interesting to try. We capped off the night by taking a night walk in the Everglades, where we were able to see our very own Nardin mascot, the gator! After using the afternoon to pack up, we went back to the Everglades to see some more wildlife; we were lucky enough to see both alligators and crocodiles on our Shark Valley Trail Tour! We learned that the Everglades are the only place that the two animals coexist. Lastly, we made one last stop at a mall for some lunch and shopping before heading home. To sum the trip up, we all had such an amazing time and were able to learn so much about marine biology!