2021 Ocean Fun Days

The NOAA Fisheries James J. Howard Lab at Sandy Hook, New Jersey partners with New Jersey Sea Grant, New Jersey Natural Gas and others to celebrate New Jersey's coastal environment!

About

18th Annual Ocean Fun Day 2021 Logo in celebration of the Howard Lab's annual open house.

Calling all students, families and teachers, Ocean Fun Days is back!

Join us and many others to celebrate New Jersey’s coastal environment this October during Ocean Fun Days. This virtual event will be packed with all kinds of fun activities, contests, and prizes for children of all ages starting October 1. There will also be special online live events that you won’t want to miss! All the details can be found on the Official Ocean Fun Days website.

A man wearing a dark blue mask and snorkel wears a black diving vest and tank as he swims in the research tank. He gives the camera a thumbs up from one of the rectangular viewing windows along the sides of the tank. — A Howard Lab researcher does a live scuba demonstration in their famous 32,000 gallon research tank for Ocean Fun Days. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

The Official Ocean Fun Days website will post new video content starting October 1, 2021. Videos will be accessible throughout October. Dr. Beth Phelan, Dr. Jessica Valenti, and Beth Sharack of the Howard Lab will be presenting cool videos on their wind energy and plastic pollution research!

Teachers and Educators

We’ve provided a series of lesson plans, worksheets, printouts, and other interactive learning tools to help bring Ocean Fun Days straight to your classroom. Check out the “Teacher’s Corner” and “Other Fun Stuff” tabs on the website for these fun classroom resources.

Vote for Your Favorites

Viewers will be able to vote on their favorite presentations. Ten luckily voters will win gift-cards! Tune in on Saturday, October 30, 2021 for a Halloween themed live event, "Sharks vs Rip Currents – a Most “Spooktacular” Comparison", and hear if you won a gift-card.