Notes about your surroundings.

Floating Lab--The Orange County Marine Institute is sponsoring a floating lab dusk cruise every Friday night through mid-September.

The cruise, aboard the institute’s Sum Fun, is meant as an educational tour during which participants will learn more about the ocean. Some of the activities planned include observing fish and other sea animals up close and watching the operation of the institute’s underwater robot, used for exploration.

The cruises will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

The cost is $22 for adults, $11 for children ages 6 to 12.

For more information and reservations, call the institute at (714) 496-2274.

Bay Tour--A guided tour of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve will be offered Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.

The tour costs $2.50, but is free for members of the California Wildlife Campaign. The naturalist-led tour lasts about two to 2 1/2 hours.

Those who would like to participate are asked to meet at Backbay and Eastbluff drives in Newport Beach. For more information, call (714) 640-6746.

Wetlands Tours--Guided public tours of the Bolsa Chica wetlands will be held Saturday. The tours, sponsored by Amigos de Bolsa Chica, will depart every 20 minutes beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 10:30 a.m. from the wetlands’ ecological reserve.

Those who would like to take the tour are asked to meet at the ecological reserve on Pacific Coast Highway about half a mile south of Warner Avenue, across from Bolsa Chica State Beach.