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Florida National High Adventure Sea Base

The Florida National High Adventure Sea Base is a high adventure program base run by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in the Florida Keys. Its counterparts are the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico and the Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases in Ely, Minnesota.

The main Sea Base is located in Islamorada, Florida on the end of Lower Matecumbe Key. Other bases include the Brinton Environmental Center located on Summerland Key (which oversees Big Munson Island located 5.5 miles southeast) and the Bahamas Sea Base in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas.

The Florida Sea Base Conference Center has become an alternative training site to the Philmont Training Center. Most conferences it hosts are for professionals or national level committees, but it also hosts conferences for outside groups.

History

In 1975 a handful of volunteers from Miami, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia got together to develop a high adventure program using the waters in and around the Florida Keys as their foundation. They asked the then Camping Director of the South Florida Council, Sam Wampler, to coordinate trips to Freeport in the Bahamas. Sam, using his station wagon and a warehouse, operated this program until 1979. Unable to find a director for this ever growing program, the committee convinced Wampler to become the first Director of the "Florida Gateway". Under Wampler's leadership, the National Council received a 1.3 million dollar grant from the Fleischmann Foundation. Following some extensive research, the Old Tollgate Motel and Marina was purchased. That original became the beginning of what is now known as the Florida Sea Base.

Since that original gift, there have been several other grants and purchases which have allowed the base to grow. From 1990 to the present, the growth has been dramatic with the addition of a third dorm, a conference center, conference housing and a new maintenance building. The original restaurant was also given a major facelift. A new chapel was created and a Corinthian catamaran was also purchased. In April 2005, a new Newton dive boat was purchased.

In December of 1982, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America which was given an untouched, uninhabited island over in size, Big Munson Island, located off Big Pine Key in the lower Keys. It is used for the Out Island Program, and part of the Key Adventure Program.

The Brinton Environmental Center was dedicated on May 5th, 2001, and officially opened its doors on June 1st, 2001. The center is named after J. Porter Brinton, the project's benefactor.

Programs

Sea Base offers the following week-long programs:

Bahamas Adventure is a sailing trip operating from the Bahamas Sea Base.
Bahamas Tall Ship is a similar trip aboard a tall ship.
Out Island Adventure is a trip where participants live on the "desert island" of Big Munson Key. Participants travel by sea kayak to the island; activities include fishing, snorkeling and canoeing.
Coral Reef Sailing is a sailing trip aboard a small sailing boat.
Sea Exploring is a sailing trip aboard a large sailing vessel.
Florida Keys Adventure covers various activities in the Florida Keys, including snorkeling, fishing, sailing and visiting Out Island and Key West.
Florida Fishing Adventure is a week-long fishing adventure, including deep-sea, night, and back-country fishing, along with visiting Key West.
SCUBA Certification is a scuba diving certification program.
SCUBA Adventure is a SCUBA program for certified crews.
SCUBA Live-Aboard is a SCUBA program for certified participants that combines the sailing and scuba diving programs.

Other programs include:

Divemaster Training Academy certifies participants as PADI Divemasters.
OA Ocean Adventure is an Order of the Arrow prgram that includes one week of SCUBA Certification, and one week of environmental restoration work in the waters of the Florida Keys. OAOA is a counterpart to the OA Trail Crew at Philmont and the OA Wilderness Voyage at Northern Tier.