After many years of umming and ahhhing whether a dive/boat safety course would work at this school, last year we made the decision to go for it and the Hono (dive) course was born. Hono stands for connection or link and this course was designed to connect boys in several ways. It was designed to connect the boys to the school, giving them learning in a field they love, in order to keep them connected and motivated to be here. It was also designed to connect them to their local environment, specifically the ocean. To learn about the ocean, to learn about some history behind our local area and to learn how to respectfully and safely be in and around that environment.

We are almost finished our learning for the first group of Hono boys going through Semester A and it has been such a great experience to be a part of. Six of our students are now qualified PADI Open Water SCUBA Divers, four are qualified PADI Free Divers and nine of them have also finished their Day Skippers Qualification through the New Zealand Coast Guard. These boys are learning real life skills and it has been amazing to witness.

Whether it has been in the class learning about the road rules of the sea, boat safety, tying knots, diving in the pool, working on our breath hold, hearing from people in the marine industry, diving in the ocean, spearfishing, learning about launching and retrieving boats, the boys have done an outstanding job getting out of their comfort zone, pushing their boundaries and doing it all with a smile on their faces. I am proud of them and wish them all the best with their future diving and boating endeavours.

A massive thanks needs to go to the school for supporting this concept, to the PE Department for getting in behind the idea and to Bryan from Blenheim Dive Centre, who has done an exceptional job training our boys.

I can’t wait to get stuck in with our next cohort of students arriving for Semester B. This is a Year 12 and 13 course so if your son loves the water or just being in the outdoors, this may be an option to look at in the future.

Chris McMurtrie