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On April 24, 2023 the Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut started our journey in fostering a new generation of ocean stewards. In partnership with the Meriden, CT School District and Scuba Shack, we conducted a Discover Scuba Program for five Platt High School students. This program is designed to give individuals the unique experience of breathing underwater and feel the weightlessness of the environment. During this 2 hour program, the young participants were able to better understand the equipment necessary to venture underwater, how to put it on, and then how to use this gear underwater. After a briefing on the pool deck, our young men and women entered the water and began their instruction. The students first started to understand the various aspects of buoyancy followed by the exhilarating experience of breathing underwater. After getting to swim around in the shallow end of the pool and begin to utilize their scuba fins, it was time to head to the deep end of the pool. Here, the students were able to feel the effects of the pressure of water, plus learn how to equalize their ears. Once in the deep end, the group had some fun, swimming and enjoying their taste of the underwater world. This Discover Scuba was our opening act in achieving our goal. We will now conduct another event at Maloney High School in Meriden next week. Our flagship event for this year will start in June when we begin training four Meriden high school students in the PADI Open Water Diver program. Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut will fully fund these four students. Your financial support will help us make this possible. Please join us by donating to our Meriden School District Campaign. SEACT - fostering a new generation of ocean stewards through scuba diving.
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I recently had the opportunity to spend six days diving in Bonaire. This island in the Dutch Caribbean is known for its passion for protecting marine life. Before you make your way into the water off the island, you are required to attend a briefing that stresses your responsibility in protecting this ecosystem. Those of us who are scuba divers understand how fragile this environment can be. It is constantly under attack. When we venture underwater we get to encounter so many different, mysterious and fascinating creatures. Here are a few of these amazing fish that I saw in Bonaire and who are counting on our protection. One of the more fascinating fish that we rarely encounter is the seahorse. You are hard pressed to call this a fish. These fish are not too big or as colorful as other tropical fish and their odd shaped body seems almost mythical. It had been over 18 years since I last encountered a seahorse. They are sometimes difficult to spot as they blend in with the coral on which they anchor themselves. Their tail wraps around the branches and they sway gently in the water. There is an excitement that comes over all of the divers as they spot a seahorse. We are privileged to be there with them and our desire to protect them is reinforced. Frogfish are another odd shaped underwater fish. These fish come in various sizes and colors and are a master of camouflage as they sit patiently on the coral or rocks. You need to look close to spot their eyes and mouth. They wait for their next meal to swim by and strike with a quick dart. Their surprising speed of attack is at odds with their seemingly sedentary position. Finding a frogfish is not easy. We strain our eyes through our mask to catch a glimpse of that unique shape and once again realize they are depending on us to protect them from the threats to the oceans. And then we have the smooth trunkfish. These small triangular shaped box fish flitter around the reef searching for their next meal. They dart left and right as we approach. Sometimes, they can be a little curious and look at themselves in the dome port of my camera. Their unique stout, lips and body shape always catch my eye. I wonder what they think of me when they spot me swimming closer. Do they know that I am not a threat or are they afraid of what I might do? I want to protect them but those who haven’t seen them underwater might not understand that they need our protection. Bonaire is labeled as “A Divers Paradise” and they take seriously the measures to preserve and protect their tropical reefs. We as scuba divers also take protecting underwater life seriously. That is why, we believe that by developing our youth as scuba divers we help to create this new generation of ocean stewards who will passionately protect our oceans and everything that thrives in this remarkable environment.
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June 2023
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