Awakening a sense of the wonder of the natural world in the lives of students is a vital component of the BZS Education programmes. It is no different for our team who, in collaboration with I AM WATER Conservation Trust and the support of XL Catlin, take public middle school students through our “Kids on the Reef” class. Through this two-day programme, students not only learn about the ocean, but also explore by snorkeling and learning to safely freedive.

However, as students are brought face-to-face with Bermuda’s marine environments, there is a certain level of fear and trepidation for some, as many of the students have never explored under the water beyond what is accessible from our sandy beaches.

“Kids on the Reef is all about taking kids outside their comfort zones,” explained Dr. Alex Amat, BZS educator and Kids on the Reef programme director. “We give them the tools they need to be confident in the water and to learn about Bermuda’s coral reefs.”

Delwood Middle School student, Al-Shae L.,
enjoys the wonders of the ocean.
Photo courtesy of I AM WATER Conservation Trust.

The workshops are open to public middle schools, who are invited to register groups of students, and allows them the unique opportunity to experience the wonders of the deep out on Bermuda’s reefs. It includes classroom teaching, covering coral reef ecology, ocean conservation and personal development, as well as confined water and open-water freediving instruction. Through the use of yoga, students learn breath and body control so that they can develop an awareness that will transfer itself into the water as they begin exploring – first through snorkeling, and then in the mind-over-body challenge of freediving.

Beth Neale, I AM WATER’s Education and Outreach Manager who taught throughout the month of May, shared: “It has been a great privilege for me to be a part of Kids on the Reef 2015. I AM WATER believes that we need to give children the confidence to explore their beautiful blue backyard. It is only once they understand and appreciate how precious this resource is that they will want to protect it... I am so proud of the young Bermudians who participated in Kids on the Reef, as many of them overcame their fears and became confident snorkelers and freedivers. It is incredible to see how quickly they learn and grow, far surpassing their own expectations.”

The students have even surprised themselves.

Al-Shae L.: “I learned that I shouldn’t be scared of anything in the water.”

Owena R.: “I’m proud of not panicking in the ocean, and I learned how to breathe in the ocean and not to put my snorkel underwater.”

Jai P.: “What I learned is how to freedive more comfortably, and I learned that I don’t have to be scared. And I learned a lot about fish.”

One teacher from Dellwood Middle School, Mr. Nannini, said: “I’m definitely proud of these students today, a lot of whom dived deeper, did better and faced their fears. Some struggled, but then managed to overcome their fears.