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A brand-new course that teaches youngsters how to hold their breath for three minutes and efficiently swim underwater could turn kids into top spearfishers these holidays.
The course will be taught by ex-Mahurangi College student Caroline Baddock, who swam for New Zealand at the Pan Pacific Championships and the World University Games. She can hold her breath underwater for five minutes and twenty seconds.
“It’s a freediving course that will teach breath control and efficient propulsion to get to a depth of 10 to 20 metres using the minimum amount of energy,” Caroline says.
After students complete the course, there is an optional spearfishing charter where they can learn how to use a speargun safely and identify which fish are good to eat.
NZ Diving is also establishing a new diving club for college-aged students that will allow them to join NZ Diving charters at a subsidised rate.
Caroline is back in Mahurangi after completing a swimming scholarship at Auburn University in Alabama. She started hosting holiday programmes with NZ Diving in Warkworth during the last school holidays.
“It has been great because kids always have fun and they are easy to teach, and at that age they are just natural in the water,” she says.
NZ Diving will also continue its popular scuba diving course which teaches how to assemble gear and safely ascend and descend over three days. Those who complete the course gain a Scuba Diving International certified diving licence.
The courses are open to anyone aged 13 and above who is fit and healthy and can comfortably swim 200 metres.
Info: email dive@nzdiving.co.nz
