30th ANNIVERSARY |Scuba Diving

Environmental Geography’s SCUBA Experience

The 30th Anniversary!

Seriously! The Geography faculty has been running this special program for 30 years! The SCUBA experience has always aimed to give students a deeper appreciation of the underwater environment and how humans manage and maintain water-based environments, whilst also introducing students to a unique skillset and completely different world. Students have seen lots over the years, from abandoned shopping trolleys through to octopuses, sting rays and sea horses (to name a few). We’ve dived at Frankston, Rye, Flinders and Blairgowrie beaches. We’ve contended with a plethora of weather conditions, and cold water through to warm. 

After 30 years we’re deeply proud to still offer this opportunity, something that will be remembered by students for many years to come.

And, we couldn’t do it without our partners at Diveline. They have always provided excellent training, guidance, supervision and value-for-money to our aspiring divers. From the most nervous student, through to the most confident, they have graciously nurtured them all.

In addition, the help we have received from Mrs Lisa Jaensch, Pool coordinator, has been exceptional, warmly welcoming us on practice days, and supporting students in their swimming requirements whilst also gently encouraging student participation for those students where nerves sometimes rear their ugly head.

And a final thank you to Mrs Jackie Evans, Geography teacher, who has so diligently, and with great care, nurtured Environmental Geography and its SCUBA experience to make it what it is today!

Current semester one Environmental Geography students have just completed their practice dive in the school pool, and what a great set of learners they were. They dove straight in; they listened, learned, and were far more capable by the end of the session. In early March they’ll be diving down at Blairgowrie (weather permitting) and experiencing a glimpse of life below the waves. Hopefully an experience that helps them form an upgraded perspective on something that is crucial to all life on Earth. 

Here’s to another 30 years!

Mr Brendan McKinnon

Sustainability & Geography Coordinator

Geography & Optima Teacher