Mahnaz Bassiri, Sally Ennis and Diane Thomas check out the touch pool.

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum sponsored a field trip to the Mote Marine Laboratory and Museum in Sarasota on July 16. The 14 visitors marveled at the aquarium exhibits, working labs, shark tank and touch pools. They even took part in an interactive dolphin rescue.

The Shell Museum’s public program specialist, Diane Thomas, enjoyed her first trip to Mote.

“I loved the turtles in the aquarium, I loved the manatees,” said Thomas. “I really enjoyed seeing a live seahorse and the hammerhead sharks, the sea anemones and the clown fish. They had a lot of nice fish.”

The youngest member of the group, Daniel Young, 13, was making his third trip to the aquarium.

“I liked the shark tank,” he noted. “I hope to come back.”

The manatee tank is popular with Mote Laboratory visitors.

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum plans to take more adventures to the Mote Marine Laboratory and other sea life destinations in the future.