Caroline Balano-Stott, of Monmouth, a 16–year-old Girl Scout from the Girl Scouts of Maine Council, recently completed Outward Bound Costa Rica’s Scuba & Sea Turtle Adventure Destination. On this 14-day course, she volunteered in Panama in conservation efforts to protect endangered sea turtles and explored new depths while learning to scuba dive coral reefs, according to an Outward Bound news release.

“Outward Bound Costa Rica is a great program that expands your horizons,” Balano-Stott said in the release.

In the wetlands of San San Pond Sak on the Caribbean coast of Panama, Balano-Stott and her fellow Girl Scouts participated in a multi-day service project focused on protecting the endangered leatherback sea turtle population.

The group then traveled to the remote island of Solarte in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, where they learned about the local ecology and marine life and scuba dived, according to the release. After completing and passing the NAUI Open Water Certification training, Balano-Stott and her course mates are all now scuba certified.

After returning to Outward Bound’s rainforest base in Costa Rica, the group ziplined through the jungle canopy and visited the vibrant artisan market of San Jose to finish up their adventure.