Mystic Whaler/Central Coast Ocean Adventures

Our Mission is to provide experiential teaching of nautical skills, teamwork and environmental responsibility on the central coast and Channel Islands.

Central Coast Ocean Adventures (CCOA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to delivering uniquely immersive ocean-based educational experiences along California’s Central Coast and the Channel Islands. CCOA believes that to adventure is to discover and learn from the excitement of experiencing the unfamiliar. Roger and Sarah Chrisman founded CCOA in 2021, acting on long-standing wisdom that the Santa Barbara Channel- and its ocean, islands, and coastline- are educational treasures from which everyone should benefit. The organization’s flagship resource, the 110-ft schooner Mystic Whaler, is the perfect medium for exploring adventure-inspired learning through sailing and the sea. CCOA’s hands-on, activity-based programs develop and strengthen STEM academic comprehension, social/emotional maturity, environmental stewardship, nautical skills, and historical lessons. CCOA is committed to making engaging experiential education and the Santa Barbara Channel more accessible to the communities of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

CCOA works with communities to provide programs that are relevant to their needs. While many of CCOA’s programs are for 10-18-year-old youth, some programs are intergenerational and family oriented, where parents and their children can grow and learn side by side and from one another. Volunteers and volunteer opportunities are especially important to CCOA, seen as essential in remaining not just a resource for the community but a part of it. CCOA offers educational programs year-round, from half-day to multi-day voyages, adaptable to the needs of the group served, be it a school, community-based organization, or programs open to the public.

CCOA provides financial assistance for access to programs based on needs through funding from private foundations, corporate and government grants, individual donations, and paid-program revenue. CCOA also offers Mystic Whaler for fundraising events, multi-day adult educational trips to the Islands, corporate team-building, and public day sails focused on local wildlife and ocean conservation.