Barrier Island Explorer

four girls on dock with fish

  • For rising 5th-6th graders
  • Sample Schedule
  • 2027 Dates: June 6-9, July 18-21
  • Program Cost: $400 (includes tuition, room, meals, and supply fees)

Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. CST February 1, 2027.

Camp registrations are processed in the order in which they are received.

This three-night camp is specially designed for rising 5th to 6th-grade students (ages 10-12). Campers will experience many of the wonders of the Gulf Coast region in a fun and unique sleep-away setting.

Led by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s full-time educators, campers go trawling aboard the Sea Lab’s research vessel, the Alabama Discovery, collect critters and get wet at the beaches and marshes of Dauphin Island, make their own ocean-themed t-shirt and visit the Alabama Aquarium. Activities ensure that campers make friends, learn a bit about the ocean environment and have fun!

Registration Information

Space is limited. Please complete the online registration form (available during open registration and until sessions fill). Once your registration has been processed and space is available in the session, you will receive a follow-up email from the DHP registrar with payment instructions. Your space is not secured until payment of the non-refundable registration fee is received.

Payment Timeline: The $100 registration fee is part of the program cost and is non-refundable. The first tuition payment of $100 is due March 1. The balance of $200 is due by May 1.

Registering after March 1? The non-refundable $100 registration fee and the $100 installment are both due at sign-up. The balance of $200 is still due by May 1. If the May 1 deadline has passed, the full balance of $400 is due at sign-up.

Coming off the waitlist? The non-refundable $100 registration plus any installments already due must be paid at sign-up. The balance of $200 is due by May 1. If the May 1 deadline has passed, the full balance of $400 is due at sign-up.

Camp Handbook: Once your registration fee is received, the DHP registrar will email you a camp handbook, which includes required release forms that will need to be completed by a deadline provided in the email.

Refund Policy: Tuition (but not registration) payments are refundable if notice of withdrawal is communicated to the DHP Registrar (in writing) at least four weeks prior to the first day of camp AND we are able to fill your camper’s spot from our waitlist. Camp costs are non-refundable should a camper choose to or be asked to leave the program once it has started.

Questions about the program or the registration process? Reach out to us at dhpsummer@disl.edu.

The Dauphin Island Sea Lab reserves the right to cancel the program in the event enrollment is inadequate. Noncompliance with the rules of the program results in expulsion and forfeiture of the program cost.