At Tabor Academy’s first full-week marine science camp, students have witnessed whales in the wild, seen sharks up close and personal and dove beneath the depths of Buzzards Bay.

While other camps at the school often include a class in marine science, the Monday through Saturday camp was exclusively focused on discovery.

“It’s just marine science from dawn to dusk,” said Jason Cassista, director of Tabor’s marine science program.

Throughout the week, the 12 students, from sixth through tenth grade, enjoyed hands-on activities, including the dissection of a spiny dogfish shark on Thursday morning.

“This is gonna sound kind of yucky,” said Cassista as he cut through the cartilage of a shark skull.

With their tablemates outside and looking a little green in the gills, Tracy Cui and Michelle Zhuang, friends from Beijing, China, leaned in to get a look at the animal’s two brains.

Cassista and fellow teacher Jenny Albright explained the inner workings of the shark while also hoping to instill respect for nature in the kids.

“Don’t poke. Don’t prod,” said Cassista.

The whole week gave students an opportunity to explore the water and use Tabor's marine science building.

“It’s a great mix of activity, but also increasing their understanding of the environment,” said Albright.

On a whale watch from Plymouth, the group saw a calf and a 10-foot blue shark. They also ventured into Buzzards Bay where they caught fish, crabs and lobster.

Taking their favorite aspects of these experiences, the students chose a research project to present on the final day of the camp.

Dylan Geder, 15, of Duxbury, said he chose the camp because he lives on the water and enjoys marine science.

“I love it all,” he said. “I really liked collecting specimens, catching things.”

With a team of three other students, Geder decided to study local species of crabs to see which one would be best at defending its food.

“This is really allowing them to pursue their authentic curiosity. We try to cater to that,” said Albright.

She was impressed with the questions kids asked and their approach to marine science.

“They are really interested and they ask questions beyond just ‘what is that?’ I was amazed,” said Albright.

Italian resident Ilaria Fordyce, 15, said the week has only furthered her interest in marine science.

“I feel like every day I’ve been learning something new that I think I’ll remember in the future,” she said. “I’ve never had a close experience with marine biology before, but I’ve always been interested in studying it.”

Samaiyah Johnson, 12, of Marion has been part of the Tabor Academy summer program for several years and always enjoyed the marine science aspect of the camps.

“I like the ocean,” she said. “There’s so much in there. It’s also a lot of fun to learn about. This is a great place to live.”

Next year Cassista would like to expand the offer to more students and offer the camp for two separate weeks.