Summer Immersion Program
Middle-School Students
August 7th - August 18th, 2027
Applied ocean science for scalable, real-world marine solutions.
Bonaire, an island municipality of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean. Its reef-lined coast is protected by Bonaire National Marine Park. Beyond its rich marine life, the island shelters lizards, donkeys and birds within its immense Washington Slagbaai National Park, marked by beaches, lagoons, caverns and desert-like hills.
Our experienced team has been leading expeditions to Bonaire for students to the island since 2016.
The MISSION: Coral Reef Restoration
Students on this expedition learn the techniques needed to work in a coral nursery and how to out-plant coral on a restored reef. Students who complete the training will earn a coral reef restoration certification allowing them to work on restoration projects around the world.
Middle school students from Oakland, CA learn coral restoration
The MISSION: Networked Open Science
Students on this expedition will also be trained as research divers, completing multiple surveys during the trip. One of these surveys will include maintenance of a smart data buoy deployed to advance ocean sampling. Students will assist with the updates to the hardware, and pair indicator species data to the site.
WHALEFALL is a nonprofit organization that connects a global student network to leaders in climate action, advancing real solutions and real impact through project-based learning.
At WHALEFALL, we believe in a world where students from across the globe come together as a unified force, harnessing their collective knowledge and passion to tackle real environmental challenges. Our mission is to inspire the next generation to lead purposeful lives dedicated to preserving and enhancing our planet's ecosystems. Just as a whalefall enriches the deep-sea environment, our network empowers students to collaborate on impactful solutions that sustainably nurture and protect the natural world for generations to come.
Training & Certifications
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Open Water Diver Track
Students who are not yet scuba certified divers will be on the Open Water Diver track. Open Water Certification and nitrox will be issued as a pre-requisite to the coral restoration training.
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Advanced Diver Track
Previously scuba certified students will be on the Advanced Diver track. These students will complete additional training in night diving, nitrox, and deep diving.
Marine Engineering Training
Students design, build, and test remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to solve simulated, real-world ocean workplace scenarios. Tasks model current marine issues like submarine cable deployment, coral reef health, and renewable energy maintenance.
Local Students from Jong Bonaire
In partnership with the Murphy Henar Foundation, WHALEFALL has been training local students from Jong Bonaire to become research divers and dive masters, allowing the local community to monitor the health of their own reef, restore their own coral, and develop new career opportunities. A WHALEFALL nonprofit campaign for the students in Bonaire is currently raising funds so students from the US and Bonaire can train together on the trip.
Pre-Trip Training
Marine ID Online Training
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The Bonaire fish ID eLearning will be available on the Area9 Platform. The online training will take approx. 4 hours. If you would like to learn even more fish, please reach out for bonus material.
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Your instructional staff has access to your eLearning progress. You do not need to submit the final exam for this part of the training.
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Set-up a free account on REEF https://www.reef.org/user/register
This is where you will upload your survey data. Please make not of your REEF member number as you will need it on the boat in Bonaire.
Scuba eLearning & Review
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Students will be assigned a unique code to redeem on the SDI website page: www.tdisdi.com/elearning.
Open Water Track students will receive 2 online codes.
Advanced Track students will receive a nitrox, deep and night diving codes.
The online training will take approx. 8 hours. All online training is due by July 16th, 2027
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Please upload a signed copy of your final exam for each online training here.
Please upload the final exam you sign and not the certificate from SDI. Example
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Enter your unique elearning code at: http://www.tdisdi.com/elearning
OPEN WATER TRACK CODES:
Kira: ZKXZ1M9SX731RMMKIQ
Tavake: T6BPUVVXJATX6IUAJT
Jayden: L45SIMUI53Z788PJL9
ADVANCED TRACK CODES:
Anya DEEP: 649LU2DQZZF7HUICAD
Anya: NITROX: C7KKLIHV6QRGYRL979
Anya: NIGHT: OW6DLZNXM8BQVS7E2X
Dive Equipment
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Rental scuba gear
The following equipment is included in the price of the expedition: Research Diving Equipment, Underwater Camera, 3mm Wetsuit, BCD, Regulator, Dive Computer, Safety Equipment, 90L Duffle, and Underwater Lights for advanced track students. Nitrox tanks and Weights will be available on location. Students & families are responsible for the replacement value if lost or damaged.
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ESSENTIAL GEAR FOR PURCHASE
Not simply an industry standard, but students prefer to have their own essential basic dive equipment. Gear is available through partner dive centers for students at a discounted rate.
Essential dive gear includes a mask, snorkel, fins, boots, mesh bag, and surface marker buoy.
Area9 Mastery Diving Research Center as our on island training center.
We will be staying at Casita Palma, Kralendijk, Bonaire
Trip Details
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The team at WHALEFALL has been working diligently to reduce the cost of the Summer Immersion program for all students. Through community support the cost has been lowered to the current price of $5,900 for all students. If you require additional financial support please complete the application below to start the process.
The cost of the Summer Immersion is based on two students per room. A single room is available for an extra cost. WHALEFALL is not responsible for finding an exact number of compatible roommates.
A $2,500 deposit is due to reserve a space in the summer immersion.
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Please email connect@whalefall.ngo to request an application for tuition assistance
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WHALEFALL Marine Tech Educational Curriculum
4-1 Instructor Ratios for In-Water Training
Resort Accommodations
Airport Transportation
3 meals daily
Boat Dives & Shore Diving
Scuba Equipment Rental
Scientific Diving Equipment Rental
Night Diving Equipment Rental
Nitrox Training & Nitrox Fills
Complimentary wireless internet access
Transportation around the island
Local Staff Gratuity
Donkey Sanctuary Tour
Mangrove Kayak
Dive Training & Certifications
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Airfare to Bonaire (BON) We will assist in booking a group flight.
Travel expenses such as airline baggage or layover hotel.
Travel disruption due to weather or other unforeseen events.
Essential Equipment for Students: Mask, snorkel, fins, boots, SMB, and mesh bag. A discounted rate is offered to students.
Single Room Upgrades
Marine Park Fee (Approx. $75)
Island Entrance Tax (Approx. $100)
Travel Insurance (Highly Recommended) We work with a preferred vender, Wanderwell
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If you would like to travel with the chaperone, and are in the Bay Area, below is the flight information.
Group Price: Approx. $800/person. Prices range from $750 - $2,000 for this flight.
AMERICAN AIRLINES
Estimated SFO Departure: August 7th around 11:50pm.
Estimated Return: August 18th, around 8pm.
LOCAL INFO
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POWER: The Resort has some standard Type A & B 110V US compatible sockets. All rooms have European Type F sockets. Please bring a plug converter.
INTERNET: the resort has wireless internet access in rooms and common areas
CURRENCY: USD
FRESH WATER: All the water on the island is reverse osmosis and safe to drink.
PAID LAUNDRY SERVICE: If you would like to do laundry during your stay, please contact the front desk for options.
EMERGENCY AND HEALTH INFORMATION: The emergency phone number is 911. A Defibrillator and Oxygen are located at the dive shop.
DECOMPRESSION CHAMBER: A hyperbaric recompression chamber is located adjacent to the hospital and isun by a highly trained staff admittance via the emergency room at the hospital. Hospitaal San Francisco, Kaya Soeur Bartola #2, Kralendijk Tel: +599 717 8900
WEATHER: Generally, you can expect lots of sunshine with occasional clouds and a nice trade wind breeze! In the winter, the average land temperature is 79°F (26°C), rising to an average of 90°F (30°C) in the summer. Don’t forget your reef safe sunscreen!
WATER BOTTLES: Please help us protect the environment by refilling your water bottles.
LANGUAGE: The official language on Bonaire is Dutch, but English and Spanish are widely spoken on island. Another language you will come across is Papiamentu, exclusively spoken on the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). Papiamentu is a mixture of many languages, including Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, English, Caribbean Indian and various African languages.
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Coming Soon
Don’t Forget
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Passport (Expiration date more than six months from trip)
Reef Safe Sunscreen
Ear Spray
A Dive Log System
Certification Card - Advanced Divers
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Students Paperwork Download (coming soon)
Please submit your paperwork by May 31st. upload with this link.
DECOMPRESSION DAY
Diving requires a 24 hour surface interval before flying home. Students will visit a local donkey sanctuary for rescued animals in Bonaire (Student Bonus Question: Why is this important for the coral reefs?)
The group will also kayak through mangroves to snorkel in a fish nursery.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Reserve your space in the experience below with a deposit. Space is limited. If we do not meet the minimum number of students required to run this experience as described 100% of deposits will be returned promptly. Deposits are 100% refundable until October 1st, 2026
Deposits received before August 31st, 2026 receive $200 off the total price of the trip
