Field Studies for Schools

International Field Studies

International Field Studies, Inc. hosts middle school, high school, and university groups at our Forfar Field Station on Andros island, in The Bahamas. Our field study programs cover a wide range of environmental education topics such as marine biology, botany, island ecology, geology, and more!

The typical week-long field study experience at our field station includes 3 boat days, 2 north land days, and 1 south land day. Our boat days are spent on the ocean snorkeling or scuba diving the third largest fringing barrier coral reef in the world, the Tongue of the Ocean, and oceanic blue holes. Land days explore the unique landscape filled with seven distinct plant communities, the largest concentration of freshwater blue holes in the world the endemic birds and reptiles, and the local artisans and community members of Andros.

While this is a typical trip for most, our program is totally customizable to fit with your goals or educational objectives. Read on for more details about our programming!

Individual students not affiliated with a group can participate in one of our 1-week or 6-week Forfar Marine Science Programs.

Rat Cay Blue Hole
Subjects: Reef Fish, Oceanic Blue Holes, Marine Invertebrates, Coral

• One of our most popular snorkel spots for student eager to see marine life.

• A beautiful oceanic blue hole with truly incredible fish and corals.

• The hole is surrounded by finger coral that grow up to the low tide line providing shelter for invertebrates, like Lettuce Leaf Nudibranchs and Spiny Lobster.

Saddleback Cay
Subjects: Marine Invertebrates, Geology

• Saddleback has several different ecosystems including grass beds, mangroves, sand flats, and rocky intertidal areas.

• This is a great site to visit during low tide and students will usually go for an invertebrate walk on the west side and snorkel on the east.

• A typical lunch stop for north boat days but an entire afternoon could be spent here, too.

Morgan’s Bluff and Cave
Subjects: History and Culture, Geology

• This 65 ft bluff is the highest point on Andros. A short walk up to the cliff face takes the group to a beautiful view of the ocean and reef.

• The legend goes that notorious pirate Captain Henry Morgan buried his treasure in the cave below Morgan’s Bluff. Students can look at stalactites stalagmites, and a group of small bats (seasonal). The cave is easily accessible and fun to walk and crawl through (plenty of space for larger groups).

Captain Bill's Blue Hole
Subjects: Geology, Birds, Botany

• The largest blue hole on the island, Captain Bill's is 440 ft across. There is an exhilarating 15 ft jump into the water and a pavilion for relaxing.

• As part of Blue Hole National Park, Captain Bill's is well kept by the Bahamas National Trust so there are plenty of nature trails and birding. 

Accommodations

Forfar provides rustic cabin-style lodging along the beach. Watch our Virtual Tour of the station for a first-hand look. Click here for more details about our accommodations.

Scuba Diving at Forfar

Scuba diving is available to enhance the learning experience. Forfar operates a PADI certified dive shop and offers dive trips in addition to our existing programming. Early morning dives, before the scheduled group activities, are available for certified divers. Review our Diving Guide for more details about diving at Forfar or contact our office to see if any certification classes are available. Or, students ages 18-23 can apply to our 6-week Forfar Marine Science Program!

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