Core Skills

Core Skills are areas of study covered throughout every seasonal term of our Jungle Marine Immersion Program. They are foundational understandings vital to reconnecting family, community and land into a thriving village.

Core Routines

We develop these skills by practicing consistent routines both in class and at home. Much of your naturalist training occurs in what we call a "Sit Spot", a place in nature where you return everyday for personal connection and study. Components such as the fitness training and team development have regular practice sessions throughout the weeks.

Sailing and Navigation

Sailing gives us freedom. We live where we live because our ancestors could harness the wind and navigate vast stretches of ocean. Many ancient maritime skills have been lost. As our fossil fuels dwindle, these skills can experience a rennasance. While we learn to use modern navigational tools such as GPS, radar and chartplotting, slowly we become more comfortable without the modern tools. We rely more on  the stars, wind, clouds, birds, water color and texture to give us the raw data we need to navigate across the ocean.

The mind of the sailor must be open, aware, adaptable, independent and full of wonder. The ocean is a beautiful and harsh teacher. To be a sailor is to be self sufficient, and to be functioning member of a tribe. Out on the ocean there is no one to help you but your crew. You become familiar with the working parts of a cruising sailboat and how to care for them. We build our own 30 foot sailboat using a mix of modern and ancient design and building techniques. Learn how stress is transferred through joints, knots, sails and rigging. Walk away with the abiltiy to go anywhere in the world and reanimate wood into a boat.

We understand that our experience on the water is shaped and defined by our crew and the weather. The unexpected can occur and we will remain flexible to avoid unessecary risks. If a storm rolls in we may have to wait it out, or if a crew member does not function as a safe member of our team we reserve the right to refuse a place aboard Windfish in our offshore overnight sailing section.

Language Immersion

Language is at the core of a culture. We will hold regular conversational spanish skillshares with fluent staff members and native locals to deepen our sense of place with the people and the land they are sharing with us

Permaculture and Regenerative Design

In shaping a new perspective on sustainable relationships to the land we look at what can be called a regenerative culture. How do humans naturally sustain a healthy relationship with the land while giving more nutrients and care back than they take? How can we take more responsibility in our daily actions be more self sufficient? This course seeks to better understand and even offer solutions to help implement these principles in today's world.

Nature Awareness and Tracking

This is where the skills of a naturalist come together with a keen insight of the hunter-gatherer. What our culture often refers to as great feats of awareness once more become commonplace as we train vision, hearing and all your senses to a high degree.

Tracking is not simply looking at footprints. It is experiencing how life flows through the landscape. Through tracking you begin to see ecology from the perspective of the animals who live in the forest. While we address the academic qualities of tracking, we focus more on its practical value as a survival tool and as a gateway into a new world of awareness.

Team Leadership

Collaboration and consensus needs to be more then slogans an buzz words. Team leadership is also about how culture is passed down through time. It is about how the genius of every community member shapes long-term sustainability. At TrackersTEAMS you develop forms of organizational collaboration that are simple, effective and offer more leisure time to explore what you care about.

Physical Fitness and Conditioning

We train both mind and body to be fit, relaxed and connected. We live with a rhythm of morning breathing, stretching, excercises and martial challenges. This rhythm keeps us sharp and alert through our many adventures together.