Every year, hundreds of undergraduate students from 250 colleges and universities all over the country gravitate to Cape Cod to participate in one of the most profound educational experiences in academia. Although they come from every walk of life, with diverse educational interests, they share one common trait: They are risk takers--young people eager to step into the unknown. For over 25 years, Sea Education Association (SEA) has been changing students' lives by taking them to a place that stretches their limitations and compels deep introspection. They accomplish this by bringing them out onto the high seas in one of their two tall ships. This is not an outward bound. It is a serious educational program. On shore, students spend six weeks in intensive academic classes in oceanography, nautical science and maritime studies. During the onshore component, they live together, cooking their own meals and organizing themselves into cohesive teams. During the second six weeks they set sail where they not only learn how to operate the ship but also complete the oceanographic experiments they began on shore. Viewers will share this extraordinary experience, witnessing the dramatic transformation these students undergo as they are hit by a Force 10 storm with 25-foot waves while they make their way from the coast of Maine across the open ocean into the Caribbean.
