Infrastructure Upgrade

Aquatics Camp Reflections on stepping out of the classroom and into the field. By Mr Greg Perkins

As a teacher, I love going on aquatics camp for those little lightbulb moments and listening to the students talk very excitedly about the things they have seen or done while on the island. This alone makes it all worthwhile.

North West Island is a coral cay on the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, 75 kilometres from Gladstone. It is the perfect environment for the students to undertake a series of tasks and experiments, including collecting longitudinal data on:

• water quality • holothurian (Sea Cucumber) transect • the impact of coral bleaching • zooplankton and phytoplankton • bird and flora observation

Fieldwork is an essential part of the Aquatics program. This is how the students develop their skills to record valuable data to track the health of the reef and marine environment. The main task when the students return is to look at the data and determine the effect a resort would have on the island and the surrounding marine ecosystem. Other practical learning experiences include driving the boats and taking long walks around the island, looking at how it was formed and how it might continue to change. Students also use several techniques while in the water, including snorkelling, manta towing (being towed behind the boat to cover further distance and observing the reef as they go) and, for those who are qualified, scuba diving.

What each of the students gets out of the camp can be very different from student to student. However, the clear standout ones would be manta towing, swimming through the blowhole, and scuba diving. It is an excellent opportunity to immerse themselves in the marine environment they have been studying. Beyond the formal and informal learning, I hope that the students make some great memories.

See photos and videos from aquatics camp by clicking on the QR code.