Friends' pupils enjoy Spanish watersports activity trip
Friends' pupils enjoy the sun, sea and sand on Palamos Beach in Spain during their recent Watersports Trip.
THIRTY FIVE pupils from Friends' School have enjoyed a Watersports activity week in La Fosca, Spain.
The pupils from Years 9-11 flew to Barcelona and after a short coach journey arrived at their destination on the shores of the Mediterranean.
After the journey the group acclimatised to the high temperatures with an afternoon of team building games on La Fosca Beach.
The evening was spent in the swimming pool in preparation for snorkelling the following day.
Enjoyed
The main activities began on Monday with a trip to Tossa de Mar where the group enjoyed snorkelling in the small bay.
With blue skies and perfect seas, pupils spent the day swimming and looking at creatures of the deep. Some lucky pupils even spotted an octopus during its siesta!
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Friends' pupils enjoy their experience on the Catamarans off Palamos Beach in Spain during their recent Watersports Trip. |
Friends' pupils head out on Toppers to continue to hone their sailing skills during their recent Watersports Trip. |
While the main events during the day were all water based, the evening entertainment was on-site or on the nearby beach.
With London 2012 approaching, a night of beach Olympics provided an opportunity for the group to get to know each other.
The pupils also enjoyed "robot wars", "have a go show" and an evening excursion to Platja D'aro.
Palamos Beach was the setting for Windsurfing, Catamaran, Fun-boat and Pico Sailing.
Despite the high temperatures, high winds allowed the pupils to enjoy an adrenaline filled three days.
The pupils also experienced smaller boats with canoeing and kayaking on the postcard setting of Castells beach.
The canoeists enjoyed a paddle around the coast as well as a fun filled diving session, jumping into the water from different rock positions. In the kayaks, the pupils paddled to the headlands to view the different rock formations.
Waterworld water park was the base for Thursday's activities and while some opted for the lazy river type slides, everyone at some stage climbed the steep hillside to experience the high speed 'kamikaze' slide.
Everyone who dared, enjoyed the 70 metres slide on an almost vertical plane to a slowdown pool at the end. This slide was definitely not for the faint hearted.
Activities finished on Saturday with the Yellow Ocean Rider providing the rush for all involved and sailing skills were further honed with Toppers in the afternoon.
While pupils enjoyed the activity week the experiences ran somewhat further.
Experience
For some it was a chance to experience a new culture and traditions while 'for others it was an opportunity to develop their language skills.
For many pupils the activities developed self confidence and self esteem while for others it was an opportunity to develop friendships. It also provided a new sporting experience with some pupils expressing a new interest in water based activities on their return to Lisburn.
Ulster Star
05/08/2011
