|
« Brian Davis selected to All-Prep Soccer Team |
Main
| LifeTouch Portrait Packages In The Mail »
Scuba Club: A Memorable Weekend
By: Captain Garriss, Scuba Coach
On October 30th & 31st, the FUMA Scuba Club traveled down to Lake Rawlings to complete their scuba training. We had fifteen of us, seven from the Middle School, seven from the Upper School and myself. Upon arrival, we quickly donned our gear for the first dive.
 Our excellent instructors from Dive Connections were already on site and ready to go. Prior to this time, the students had trained in a closed water environment in our new Aquatics Center. Now they finally were putting their training to the test in open water. It was an exciting time and most of the cadets adjusted fairly quickly. After finishing two dives, we set up camp. Diner for the evening was a cookout of hamburgers and hotdogs with all the fixings. Desert was apple pie and Smores by the fire. Afterwards we had split up into two teams to play "Capture the Flag."
In the morning, we had a hot breakfast of pancakes, bacon and toasted bagels with our yogurt and cereal. We had two more dives left until certification, so we broke down camp and then headed to the lake. During our dives, the cadets were tested on the various skills they had learned. We also saw lots of fish and interacted with the many under water attractions like the sunken cars, a school bus and boats. After the cadets had finished, Dive Connection was very generous and took several of the cadets out for a fifth dive, now as a certified PADI Open Water Diver.
If you would be interested in learning about the FUMA Scuba Club or how to obtain PADI Open Water or PADI Advanced Open Water Certification while your cadet is at FUMA, please contact:
Captain Brian Garriss
Fork Union Military Academy Middle School
Computer Teacher, Activities Director & Scuba Coach
Office: (434) 842-4246
Cell: (434) 249-2009
Fax: (434) 842-4269
Email:garrissb@fuma.org
See Photos from our Scuba Weekend by clicking here
Student Testimonials
By: Cadet David Merialdo-Middle School
When I first started my PADI Open Water certification course, I thought it would be a breeze. However, it took hard work and dedication to fulfill my dreams of becoming a diver and discover the underwater world. My first dive I was trembling with excitement, I was about to enter a world that was more brilliant and exciting then I had ever imagined. In the scuba classroom I had most of my difficulty, but once we hit the water it felt as if I was flying. The PADI Open Water certification course has been one of the most amazing experiences I have had at FUMA and life for that matter.
By: Cadet Robert Bongers-Upper School
October 29th dawned cold and grey at Fork Union Military Academy as the 15 members of the SCUBA club loaded up their bus with their sleeping bags and dive gear. The weather did not damper the spirits of these cadets; for them, it was the climax of a month's worth of training in FUMA's brand new, state of the art aquatic facility and hours of studying dive charts and manuals. Rain or shine, they were ready.
Upon arriving at Lake Rawlings, after a scenic trip through central Virginia, the club met up with their instructors from Dive Connections and wasted no time "getting their feet wet." within the hour, they had their gear assembled and walked down the rocky slope to the lake. The lake, they soon learned was considerably colder than the cadets had anticipated, but thanks to the wetsuits provided by Dive Connections, they remained warm in the water throughout the weekend.
The instructors from Dive Connections went above and beyond the call of duty by not only teaching the group and instilling the love of diving in them, but by also camping out with the cadets and demonstrating their mastery of the culinary arts (which the cadets were extremely grateful for). The FUMA SCUBA Club salutes Dive Connections for their hospitality, friendliness, and eagerness to share their knowledge with others.
The atmosphere in the lake was mysterious and new. For them, it was discovering another world just below the surface, a world which is as rich and diverse in wildlife as the one we live in. Also noted were several apparent human influences such as a school bus, several cars and boats (including a boat that was featured in the film The Replacements), a basketball hoop, and even a pinball machine.
PADI required the cadets to perform several skills on their four qualification dives, which they passed proficiently. As students used to the daily grind of written examinations, it was a test they were glad to take.
After that weekend, the Fork Union Military Academy SCUBA Club drove away from Lake Rawlings, most now certified PADI Open Water Divers, with a love of SCUBA diving and with dreams of adventures in exotic locations and an experience that will last a lifetime.
Posted by , Friday, November 11, 2005 10:36 AM
General News
|
