Fresh back from the Philippines, twelve senior pupils and four members of staff have taken the plunge and completed their open water diving certificate, commonly known as PADI.

The trip optimizes the Wellington ethos of taking a risk and learning something new. Our teachers are always encouraging pupils to push themselves and to take on new challenges.

The pupils completed their 6 weeks training in The College swimming pool, where they learnt the majority of the skills and then headed off to Anilao, Philippines to complete the course.

Mr. Alex Lloyd, who lead the trip writes: “Quite naturally there were some nerves as we sat down for our first dive briefing. Going from the comforts of your own pool to the ocean is quite a step. However, we were soon off and approaching our first dive site. With a 3, 2, 1 countdown and a roll backwards off the boat we were all soon enough experiencing our first dive together. It was a great moment to see the excitement on the student’s faces, in what was an idyllic location.”

To pass the course the pupils had to complete four open water dives down to 18m depth as well as passing a theory exam. All the pupils passed the course and some opted to do an additional dive to gain some experience of the next advanced level. The visibility was good for the trip, and the pupils got to experience an authentic and natural range of sea life and coral. The team was also guided to a hotel wreck from 1985 which was alive with coral.

This was the first trip of its kind in our history as a College.

Final congratulations must go the pupils for gaining their PADI qualification and we hope they continue to enjoy the underwater world for years to come.