The Office of Naval Research’s second module of the Science & Technology Focus series, an educational resource for students and teachers, tackles the exciting world of submarines. Blow the Ballast! tells the tragic but inspiring story of the Squalus, a pre-WWII submarine that sank in 1939. Thirty-three men trapped in its hull survived and were rescued after 39 grueling hours 243 feet below the surface, a feat never before accomplished! The site also dives into the history of submarines, people in the sea and submarine safety; teaches the principles behind the way submarines operate with cool, interactive graphics; and reveals 1960s Navy experiments that had aquanauts living in underwater habitats at great depths for weeks at a time! ONR’s CyberScientist is on the scene ready to answer questions and demonstrate a few experiments.

This site contains everything you need to teach a unit on marine biology. There is a teacher’s guide, online games and quizzes, literature links, and links to other sites for more information about marine biology. Kids will especially enjoy the slider and jigsaw puzzles, quizzes and word searches.

This is an excellent site for children and also adults. It is filled with fabulous pictures and videos. It tells all about Hawai’i’s coral reefs and the organisms and creatures that live there. It stresses that coral reefs must be protected. Its information is accurate as far as I can tell.It also has a few interactive games, a story that can be added to, and a discussion board.

The first module of ONR’s Science and Technology Focus Site, an educational resource for students and teachers, spotlights Oceanography. The site explores all areas of the ocean, from the beaches and mangroves to the depths of the ocean basins and trenches. Colorful, interactive graphics teach about the processes that keep the ocean in motion. Quick quizzes and experiments test the viewers’ knowledge, and ONR’s CyberScientist is on call to answer any questions. USA Today declared the site a ‘Hot Site’ on Jan. 13, 2000.

If you like history and scuba diving, this is for you. The Baltic Sea, in NorthernEurope, is a cold brackish sea where wood is preserved for centuries. Many sunken ships stillwait to be discovered.

SharkFriends is a wonderful marine life site that focuses on educating visitors about sharks and other ocean animals too. I find it very nicely designed and easy to navigate. It’s especially nice to see a site showing information and pictures about sharks that educate rather than scare.