VCE Outdoor & Environmental Studies

On Thursday the 26th of May, the Year 11 – Unit 3 & 4 Outdoor & Environmental Studies class attended URBNSURF in Tullamarine for a day of surfing. For many this was their first surfing experience since the dreaded C word struck the world a few years ago. For some, it was their first time being in water. URBNSURF is an artificial beach environment where the waves are generated by a machine and can be increased or decreased based on the group’s surfing ability.

We were greeted by the lovely staff at URBNSURF who gave us a quick tour of the facilities and then we were handed our wetsuits to then get ready for the session. Due to the marvellous weather conditions on the day, we had to be quick with getting changed so we could then undertake a safety briefing and skill refresher before hitting the water. The dark rain clouds looming overheard did not fill a lot of people with hope.

The sirens rung and then the waves started. All students braved the cold water and started paddling out to where the waves were breaking. Within minutes we had students standing up and riding the waves all the way to the beach. There was no stopping students like Tara Grima, Mark Barboura and Deklyan Edmonds who we now believe to be pro surfers as they were constantly catching waves and making it look easy.

After about an hour of surfing, the sirens rung again and that meant it was last waves and everyone had the opportunity of one more surf. Evan Almousa, Maldini and Majd Barboura were so keen that they wanted to stay even longer and try to push their abilities by starting their surf earlier and catching the bigger waves. Within minutes, the machine stopped and the waves calmed.

The class was congratulated on their efforts as every single student gave it a go and not one student gave up the entire time we were there. Despite the cold weather and small drops of rain we encountered during the session, all students were able to stand up or at least ride a wave.

On our way back to the college we were able to drive past the recently completed solar farm which is located just north of the Tullamarine Airport. This allowed students to see the large number of panels that are required to power the airport and also provide us with an opportunity to discuss renewable energy for our next topic.

Surfing at an artificial environment also allowed students to reference changes in surfing technology for their current assessment.

I would like to thank Ms Bullen for volunteering your time to attend this excursion. Without your help we would not have been able to go to URBNSURF.

Speaking on behalf of the college and Mr McMahon, we would like to thank all of the families who continue to support Outdoor & Environmental Studies subjects and allow us the opportunity to take students on these experiences. 

Thank you!

Cameron Archibald,

Junior School Learning Partner,

VCE Outdoor & Environmental Studies.

OES tip

As the weather is getting colder we are all running to grab our down jackets to keep us warm. Just a reminder that these are not rain jackets. Yes they do have a water resistant coating on the outside of the jacket, but this will only be effective for a few minutes.

When down jackets become too wet or completely soaked, they need to be dried properly or else the natural feathers inside will clump together and unfortunately your expensive down jacket will not work as it should. If you are going to wash or dry your down jacket, always check your manufacture label as this will state the best way to dry your jackets.