Youth get taste of scuba diving

Seventeen youths from Mayreau can now boast of their skills in SCUBA diving, following an Easter diving workshop conducted in Mayreau on Saturday, April 6, compliments Grenadines Dive.{{more}}

The one-day workshop, which was spearheaded by Glenroy Adams, the operator of Grenadines Dive, sought to promote confidence and skill-set building for the youths.

Adams and his staff journeyed from Union Island to Mayreau to conduct the sessions; they were also joined by Nancy and Lorne Sal Demers.

Theoretical training on SCUBA gear and the basics of diving was delivered to the youngsters, who listened attentively and asked several questions. They were also given a career talk on SCUBA diving and the prospects of being a professional diver.

The children were excited to know that they could be the next dive shop owners, instructors, marine biologists or researchers.

Adams and the team then demonstrated to the participants practical skills such as clearing the mask, retrieving the regulator and vital safety drills in the shallow waters. In batches of six, the children, in full diving gear, quickly took to the bottom of the sea bed with their supervisors. Some of them were thrilled to see that they made it through their very first underwater experience.

According to a release, the workshop was a total success, with youngest participant being 14 and the eldest 17, a mixture of both boys and girls.

The release said Adams knows the children well, since he provides transportation on his boat for them to travel to and from Mayreau, to attend secondary school in Union Island during the week, an initiative which has been in place for over a year now. Grenadines Dive has been in operation for over 21 years, providing community support.