Sitka Students Build Marine Safety Skills with AMSEA

Sitka students spent this past spring developing marine safety skills that will help them reduce risk in Southeast Alaska’s challenging coastal environment. With support from the Rueben E. Crossett Foundation, RurAL CAP, State of Alaska, educators, community partners, and volunteers, this training provided memorable, hands-on experiences. The highlight of the season was the 7th Grade Marine Safety Fair, where students tackled realistic marine safety challenges and put their skills to the test.  

1st Graders

Sitka first graders bravely entered the pool for their first AMSEA training, practicing life jacket use, self-rescue, and working together to reboard a small vessel. Students donned life jackets, practiced floating, HELP and huddle positions, and learned what to do in the event of falling in the water unexpectedly. 

3rd Graders

The third graders built their foundation of marine safety knowledge with classroom sessions, pool sessions, and a final harbor day at the U.S. Coast Guard base. At the base, 3rd graders were guided by USCG rescue swimmers to apply their pool and classroom skills. They got into immersion suits in the harbor and worked together to form survival formations such as the star formation, chain swim, and boarding a liferaft. 

5th Graders

Fifth graders in Sitka shifted into shore survival mode and got a chance to build outdoor debris shelters. They worked in teams, divided roles, gathered materials such as branches, moss, and grass, and built a variety of shelters. 

7th Graders

The 7th graders started off their marine safety week by refining their survival skills in pool sessions with a variety of wearable personal flotation devices (PFDs) and immersion suits. At the end of the week, on May 8th, they applied their previous lessons in an all-day 7th Grade Marine Safety Fair at Blatchley Middle School. The fair had six rotating stations that students moved through, with each station showcasing different marine survival safety skills. The six stations were:

Damage Control 

At this station, 7th graders jumped into a flooding simulation where they used various tools and materials to plug, close, and pump different leaks on a flooding vessel. Students learned just how fast things can go wrong in a flooding scenario and practiced ways to act quickly and efficiently to manage emergencies. 

USCG Aids to Navigation Obstacle Course

The Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team led a safety obstacle course where students identified survival equipment, practiced using marine navigation aids, made a demo SOS, threw life rings and rescue bags, and quickly donned immersion suits. 

Emergency Signals

At the emergency signals station, students learned how to use and when to use different types of distress signals, practiced MAYDAY calls, and observed a live flare demonstration. 

Anchoring, Weather, and Tides

At the anchoring station, students started by learning about different types of anchors, then moved into reading tide books and analyzing weather patterns. After that, they put their new anchor knowledge to the test, and practiced pulling on different lengths of scope on varied types of anchors. 

Small Vessel Safety Orientation 

Aboard Lauren Howard’s 24’ Almar Sounder, 7th graders received a vessel safety orientation that included using the radio for emergencies, turning on the plotter, shifting gears, locating safety gear, checking the weather, filing a float plan, and practicing what to do in the event of a vessel capsize or a person overboard emergency. 

Large Vessel Safety Orientation 

Over at Eliason Harbor, students received a vessel safety orientation aboard the fishing tender, Eigle B with Dan Dunn. Students learned emergency procedures in the wheelhouse, on deck, in the engine room. They also learned about the location of the vessel’s various emergency gear, such as emergency signaling devices, immersion suits, and a liferaft. 

The return of the 7th Grade Marine Safety Fair for a second year was an exciting and memorable success, thanks to the hard work of all those involved. A special thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped make this event happen including Jarett Hirai, Ben White, the U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team, Lauren and Courtney Howard, Dan Dunn, the amazing 7th grade teachers and staff, and AMSEA’s 2026 Fellow, Suz Oriel who coordinated everything. We appreciate you all so much! 

The AMSEA team was so impressed by the 1st though 7th graders who all stepped outside their comfort levels to learn essential cold-water survival skills for Southeast Alaska! We can't wait to meet the incoming class of 1st graders and see all of the students build on these skills in the years to come.