Science through SCUBA
The Rockaway Waterfront Alliance (RWA) is “a community-based non-profit organization that works to empower the local Rockaway community to play a role in the determination of their neighborhoods, and foster an understanding of the principals of environmental justice and urban sustainability.” They run summer programs with different schools and students, and we’ve done a few workshops with them throughout the summer. Some pics of our first one, courtesy of RWA:
This past weekend, Rolman, Quincy, Gideon, and Dierre completed their open water dives to become Schooba’s first cohort of fully certified scuba divers! They all received their NAUI Scuba Diver Certification, and we owe a super huge thanks to Paul Bardo and Ocean Horizons Scuba for providing fantastic instruction for the course. Here are some pics from the weekend’s dives at Beach 8th St., Far Rockaway, Queens, NY.
Water temp = 68 degrees Fahrenheit
Visibility = 5-15 feet
Max depth = 27 feet
Ocean Horizons Scuba, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Inside the shop, about to get fitted for our gear.
Rolman's first time putting on a wetsuit.
Quincy, lookin' sharp.
Rolman, checking out the compressor.
One 7th grade science teacher you do not want to mess with.
Last stop on the A train.
Beach 8th St.
The dive site.
Gearin' up.
Gideon and the Amazing Technicolor Swim Trunks
The dive briefing
Group shot before our first dive.
Waiting for the calm of slack tide.
Rolman, about to go under.
Quincy, about to go under.
Gideon and Dierre ... about to go under.
Group shot.
Single file
(The sound of bubbles.)
Gideon is OK.
Dierre is OK, too, and is - just for a moment - going to use the "thumbs up" to communicate how awesome it is.
Starfish, mussels
Crab
Fish
Sea Robin
Spot the flounders.
Rolman, having fun and not wanting to ascend.
Crab
Quincy, a fish in water.
Lobster
Gideon and Dierre, Mentors
Quincy and Rolman, soon to be 10th grade students at Lyons Community School, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Schooba Mentor program pairs students from low-income communities with a totally awesome mentor to complete a full scuba certification course together. The student simultaneously receives free, private tutoring on the science involved in scuba diving.
Starting today, three student-mentor pairs will begin their NAUI Scuba Diver (Open Water) course. The training will be done by Ocean Horizons Scuba, and the open water dives will take place place off of Beach 8th/9th St. in Far Rockaway, Queens this summer. I’ll be posting information on our newest Schoobents individually throughout the week, so stay posted to learn more!
…Oh, and how can you become a mentor!? For now, email me (zach@schooba.org).
This past Saturday, the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation hosted the 5th Annual Earth Day Rockaway celebration, a fun-filled afternoon of environmental education, arts and crafts, and entertainment on the boardwalk at Beach 59th Street. Schooba was there in full force, tabling materials and presenting workshops to kids, teenagers, and adults alike. Have a look at some highlights from the day:
Schooba, a participating organization
"Com'n, hurry up! We can't be late for the Schooba workshop!" - about 30 screaming fans at 12:29 PM
Setting up our table
About an hour before the festivities
The boardwalk at Beach 59th St., Rockaway, Queens
The Schooba table!
A bit closer up
Open the gates!
Yashira, drawing a crowd
A grown man amazed
And signing up for more info!
Yashira explaining the Cartesian condiment experiment
Amazing the crowd
Little girls, just prior to being amazed.
Little girls, about to do the Diving Raisin experiment
More grown men fascinated
Science through scuba.
Experimenting some more
And blowing minds left, right, and straight ahead
"Heck yeah I want more info!"
Lovin' the raisin experiment
The Shrinking Lung experiment
Our new friend's activity for the next 45 minutes.
Already looking forward to attending next year!
…Almost.
“Consent to filing with the Department of State”
Check out that official seal.
