During this first semester of 2021, I have done the Muir outdoor education for an elective. We started by snorkeling at the Omeo shipwreck in Coogee and in week 9 of the first term we went to Rottnest for the day and went snorkeling there.
Organized: being organized was an important part of snorkeling. When we went to Rottnest, I had to make sure I had all the equipment I needed. We also had to move quickly and smoothly if we all wanted to go out snorkeling multiple times. Snorkeling really helped me with my organization since I wasn’t very organized before but now I am.
Effective communication: Communicating effectively was essential to snorkeling. Not only did we have to learn communication verbally but also physically. There were certain signals that Miss Stieber taught us to follow. This included signals to come to shore or swim out further. Not communicating effectively could have led to dangerous situations so we all because good at communicating.
Collaborative: Working collaboratively was a big part of outdoor ed this semester. We were often working in groups for different activities. We did activities like relays that made us work at as a team. We were in buddies when we went to the Omeo shipwreck and when we went to Rottnest, and we had to stay together for all the time we were in the water.
Leave no trace: since we were outside a lot, we learnt about leave no trace. Leave no trace is not only about picking up after yourself and making sure you leave the space you are in the same way you found it but it is also about leaving it better than you found out. When going to Rottnest I adopted the mentality that I needed to try and pick up as much rubbish as I could.