Rehoboth Beach tour company banks on visitors' love of sun, surf and science

Jody and Steve Dengler are not scientists.

But they are a couple of self-described "science nerds" whose goal is to introduce the public to the biological, ecological and zoological wonders found near Delaware's resort communities.

Last month, the Lewes couple launched Sun Otter Tours, a company that aims to become an ambassador to the scientific splendor just below the surface of Delaware's top tourist destination.

"Thousands of people spend a week at the beach every summer," Jody said. "Our hope is to put a little education in their vacation."

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Several local businesses are hoping Sun Otter also will be able to give them a boost, while state and county officials see the company as a potential boon to area parks and beaches.

"People who visit the area want to relax, but they also want to try something new," said Scott Thomas, executive director of Southern Delaware Tourism.

"We've been ripe for a business like this for many years," he said. "Now the rubber is finally hitting the road." 

Sun Otter is currently offering three tour packages, including one focused on marine ecology near Lewes, another spotlighting nocturnal wildlife at Trap Pond State Park in Laurel and a third that promises a behind-the-scenes look at Sussex County's craft alcohol industry with stops at Milton's Brimming Horn Meadery and Dogfish Head's brewery.

"The common thread for all of them is that they give people a chance to visit places they might not otherwise go, learning things they might not otherwise discover and have fun doing things they might not otherwise know existed," Jody said.

At $34 to $49 per person depending on the age of the guests, Sun Otter can be a little pricey for a family on a budget, but tours do include a light meal and plenty of hands-on activities. 

The 4-hour marine ecology tour, for instance, takes guests through the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean & Environment's Cannon Laboratory in Lewes.

There Chris Petrone, a marine education specialist with Delaware Sea Grant, introduces visitors to the microscopic plants and animals that form the base of the marine food web.

Guests also get a guided visit to the second floor of Cannon Lab, where they can take in the largest wind turbine in Delaware, a 400-foot-tall propeller capable turning a strong breeze into 2 megawatts of electricity – enough to power the small campus and 105 homes.

Visitors also are invited aboard the Delaware River & Bay Cooperative‘s DelRiver, 166-foot emergency response ship that acts as a command vessel in the event of an oil spill along Delaware's coastline. 

And they get to visit Cape Henlopen State Park where they can use a large fishing net called a seine to catch and examine native plants and animals visible to the naked eye, including sea lettuce, mermaid's hair, comb jellyfish and small fish, such as mummichogs and striped killifish.

"When a lot of people hear about things like climate change and pollution, they don't necessarily have a frame of reference," Jody said. "But if they spend a half day with us they get a pretty good lesson on the importance of these things. And it's fun."

Jody and Steve, newlywed grandparents in their 50s, long dreamed of starting a tour company similar to the ones they enjoy on their own travels. But it was only after Wilmington University closed the Rehoboth Beach campus where Jody taught non-credit courses that she and her window salesman husband took the plunge to become entrepreneurs.

The couple purchased a used 14-seat Ford E-350 Champion bus from the CHEER Center, developed a business plan with the help of the Delaware Small Business Development Center and set out to recruit stops along their tours.

"It didn't take much convincing for us," said Jon Talkington, co-owner of the newly opened Brimming Horn Meadery. "I love the idea of science-based tours and in my mind it's already paid off because we've had people who first came here with Sun Otter come back and visit on their own."

Sun Otter picks up its tour guests from both the Bellmoor Inn and Spa and the Henlopen Hotel, both in Rehoboth Beach.

"It's great for us because it gives us something else to offer our guests," said Laura Downes, the Henlopen's front desk manager. "I think it's an excellent idea, especially for kids." 

For now, Sun Otter is rotating its Marine Ecology and Alchemy of Alcohol tours every other Thursday, while offering its Night Moves tour to Trap Pond every Sunday.

But Jody said she hopes they catch on enough so the couple can expand the company's days and its offerings with fall tours possibly focusing on Rehoboth Beach's Sea Witch and Jazz festivals. 

"We're really trying to get our name out there right now," she said. "But when it comes to science, this area has an endless supply of opportunities. And really, that's what we want people to notice."

Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.