Underwater adventures for Gap year students

SportSkool, the creator of SnowSkool and PoloSkool, is offering an exciting new gap experience this summer with the launch of ScubaSkool. ScubaSkool is SportSkool’s latest venture and offers the chance to learn how to scuba dive in one of the world’s most beautiful locations.

Students travel to the tropical island of Utila, situated on the world’s second largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea, to take part in an intensive scuba dive training course, which offers tuition and qualifications from PADI Open Water to PADI Divemaster, a qualification which allows students to work at scuba dive centres across the world.

Students can go from beginner to divemaster in just seven weeks at ScubaSkool and, with their training complete, students are encouraged to stay on and participate in the four week conservation project. With modules in whale shark and dolphin research as well as coral reef protection, the course provides a valuable learning opportunity and an experience students will never forget.

Phil Purdie, Managing Director of SportSkool, explains why ScubaSkool is unique.

“ScubaSkool offers complete training for students, so after just seven weeks, they are qualified to work all over the world. Our flexible course structure means students can pick and mix certain elements to suit their individual needs, so someone who has already completed the Open Water qualification can join later, and people who just want to take a two week course can do just that. In this way the courses are suitable for gappers starting their year out, career breakers or holidaymakers. There really is something for everyone.”

With years of experience running gap year expeditions to Canada, New Zealand and Argentina, Phil is confident that ScubaSkool will be just as popular.

“Our ski and polo courses have been very successful and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our clients a new type of experience, again in such stunning surroundings. ScubaSkool offers the opportunity to learn to scuba dive to Divemaster level and also to take part in important conservation work, which enables students to give something back. We’re looking forward to welcoming students to take part in the ScubaSkool experience!”

The ScubaSkool course begins on Utila on Monday 16th July. The full programme will finish seven weeks later on Friday 31st August 2007.

For those wishing to remain on Utila to take part in the Conservation Project, this runs over four weeks, between Monday 3rd until Friday 28th September 2007.

The base price for the seven-week programme for 2007 is £3250.

This covers the following:
• Return flights to Honduras
• Transfers to Utila
• Seven weeks accommodation (four person dorm room)
• All scuba dive tuition (Novice to Divemaster)
• All PADI certification fees
• More than seventy dives over the seven weeks
• Three specialty dives (photography, night, wreck, drift...etc)
• All equipment hire
• Super-friendly ScubaSkool rep in resort 24:7

Students can pick and mix elements of the course to suit themselves and can find out how by visiting Scubaskool.co.uk.