Butler College - Cocos Islands_edit

Can you imagine you and some of your closest school friends heading off to the Cocos Keeling Islands to dive? Well, for a lucky bunch of students from Butler College in Perth, Australia, that’s exactly what happened.

Butler College offers diving courses as part of the Marine Studies syllabus that is offered to students from grade 8 (approximately 14 years old) until grade 12 (18 years old). The syllabus covers subjects that include water training, maritime history, boating certifications and scuba diving. The school has its own pool in which some training is conducted.

As part of their studies, school teachers and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors, Mark Lehmann and John Sheriffs, organised a trip to Cocos Islands to further extend their knowledge and skill development, with some students becoming Rescue Divers prior to the trip.

The students were treated to some spectacular wildlife, including white tip and black tip reef sharks, turtles, manta rays, fish and even a tiger shark! The trip was a great success in raising awareness and interest about the precious marine life found in Australia and its surrounds. Many students even hope to return to the islands.

About Cocos (Keeling) Islands

The Cocos Keeling Islands are a group of coral islands found 2,750kms (1708 miles) northwest of Perth. While there are 27 islands, only two are inhabited. There are a myriad of dive sites with around 1,550 species of marine life to discover. Water temperature is between 26-29C (78-84F) and visibility is up to 25m (82ft).

Want to learn more about diving in Australia? Visit our Australia Vacation Spotlight.

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