DIVING

One of the prime purposes of the trip is to give pupils the opportunity to dive in the coral reefs round Tioman Island. We spend the second week at Melina Beach on Tioman Island and usually manage to complete seven or eight dives to depths of up to 25 metres. For most pupils, this is the highlight of the trip. Pupils also sit the PADI Open Water assessment and receive certification to permit them to dive anywhere in the world. The certificates are sent to the school around Christmas and presented at morning Assembly.

Prior to departure, the group is given a taster course in sub-aqua diving at Dollar:

Forth Valley Sub-Aqua Club meet in the Dollar Academy pool every Tuesday night at 7.00pm for three hours throughout the winter months. We have an arrangement with them whereby they train the pupils in elementary diving techniques over three sessions in the second term. The cost is only £10 per pupil, which is deducted from the payments made. Each session comprises a lecture from Terry Hollis and SCUBA diving tuition in the pool. Pupils are given full diving equipment and shown how to set it up on land and use it in water. Various techniques are tried, such as controlling buoyancy, emptying facemask and sharing air.

Suppliers of Diving Equipment