The 900-plus students studying marine sciences at Coastal Carolina University graduate with their sea legs along with a degree.
CCU has a variety of vessels used for research and instruction on local rivers and bays, in estuaries and the Intracoastal waterway, and on artificial reefs and the open ocean.
Going aboard is 鈥渟ort of a defining moment in their academic program鈥 for marine science students, said Dr. Rich Viso, an associate dean of CCU鈥檚 Gupta College of Science who helps manage marine operations at the university.
The craft range from 16- and 18-foot Jon boats that explore the shallows of rivers, inlets and the waterway, to the CCU Coastal Explorer, the flagship of the fleet.
The heavy-duty, 54-foot aluminum-hulled catamaran Coastal Explorer is CCU's open-ocean workhorse, outfitted with twin 6.7L Cummins diesel engines, winches and an A-frame used to lift and deploy heavy underwater research instruments, nets and traps. It has a capacity of 20 persons, a range of 225 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 20 knots.
CCU added another research vessel to the fleet last year, accepting and refurbishing a patrol boat donated by the North Myrtle Beach Police Department.
鈥淲e are so happy to know that this boat is going to be used to shape future leaders within our community,鈥 North Myrtle Beach Police Chief Dana Crowell said at the christening ceremony on Nov. 21.
The university now has eight vessels, two more than the Estonian Navy.
The 14-year-old, 26-foot patrol boat, was christened the Coastal Discovery.
Viso said the highly maneuverable vessel has been refitted and is ideal for checking instruments that measure conditions including temperature, oxygen levels, wave conditions and salinity on local piers and reefs. It鈥檚 a good diving platform and, powered by twin 300 horsepower Yamaha outboard motors, can cruise at speeds up to 30 knots.
Coastal Discovery, one of eight boats in the Coastal Carolina University marine science fleet, is shown after its christening ceremony in Little River in November, 2024. (CCU courtesy photo)
CCU also boasts a 32-foot pontoon boat, the Coastal Research, which is used for a variety of purposes including the popular Biology of Sharks class. The course requires to students to participate in three-to-five shark research and training cruises departing from Georgetown. The university has dock space in Georgetown and Little River, and stores smaller boats that are transported by trailer on campus.
A pair of versatile fiberglass coastal skiffs, a rigid inflatable boat and a pair of aluminum jon boats round out the fleet. University staff handle routine maintenance, while major repairs are contracted out to local vendors, Viso said.
The fleet is outfitted with a plethora of scientific equipment and sampling instrumentation including side-scan sonars, sub-bottom profilers, acoustic Doppler current profilers and coring devices to collect sediments from the ocean floors.
鈥淲e have state-of-the-art equipment so we鈥檙e training kids on the best cutting-edge technology,鈥 Viso said.
And it all happens in an enviable location.
The Grand Strand offers the full array of outdoor laboratories 鈥 from brackish tidal estuaries and bays fed by nutrient-rich rivers, to swamps and the deep blue-green sea.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just oceanography out in the saltwater of the ocean. We鈥檙e in a wonderful natural setting here,鈥 Viso said.
That includes the 1,105-acre Anne Tilghman Boyce Coastal Reserve at Waties Island, an undeveloped barrier island off Little River that serves as an outdoor classroom.
The courses are taught by a roster of highly qualified instructors, and the university offers a masters as well as a PhD degree.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of expertise here,鈥 Viso said.
And the bigger boats are captained by a trio of experienced, Coast Guard-certified, seamen and educators. They train other students and faculty in the proper operation of the smaller boats, which don鈥檛 require licensing.
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